The political system in Nigeria is heavily infected by corruption and the educational system is choked by poor funding. But the education suffers from much more.
The University of Ghana and the University of Nigeria have so much in common besides being named after their respective countries. They were both conceived during the colonial era and they have main campuses located on hills, Legon and Nsukka. Both have very large student population of between 35,000 and 38,000. They have regional reputations and have produced high quality graduates who have played great roles in societies.
According to a correspondent of Vanguard, who had a brief stay in each university last year reflected on the two societies through those institutions. In Legon, it was an experience of efficiency, culture and aesthetics. All buildings were painted and all were white and all had red roofs and all windows black.
Flowers and hedges were manicured and trees added beauty to the environment. Order was evident and everything showed agelessness because the new and the old abided by a laid down code. The library was quaint but noiseless, lacked modern books but had good ambience.
The hostels showed they have not lacked care and the newer ones were quite modern. But whether old or new, modern or ancient the color codes were maintained and all the roofs were red. The Guest house was sparsely furnished but functional and had good landscaping. Order and serenity were evident. The internet wifi system was good.
Nsukka was a different experience. A multitude of uncompleted projects littered everywhere, grasses had turned to bushes and hedges were untrammeled, free and wild. Many buildings were pale, washed and battered. Hostels were in shambles. The Enugu campus that houses faculties of Law and Medicine has no pipe borne water. The state of the toilet facilities in Enugu campus can only be imagined. A chat with some female students of that campus revealed that students have buckets for defecating.
They defecate in the open, along the toilet corridor, many at a time, facing themselves, into buckets and hurl the contents afterward into the toilet bowls, leaving trails of faeces for the cleaners who come when they wish to effect as much cleaning as they can. We use University of Nigeria is a spotlight for this comparison not because OTHER Universities aren't as bad, but because it is University of Nigeria.
Post By: Ukachukwu Victor.
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