The yahoo yahoo Post Graduate School

Late 2011, I had made enquires about running an Msc programme at the University of Lagos and I was assured that their programmes are as good as the ones obtainable outside the country and fast in terms of completion time. Little did I know that I was about to experience the greatest scam of my life. For the records, the Post Graduate School of the University of Lagos is yet to produce any full-time geoscience graduate from inception till date (April, 2015).

After initial inquiries, I kept myself updated on the admission news from the university, regularly visiting the website of the PG school (http://spgs.unilag.edu.ng/ ). I was impressed by how well the website was organized as against what is obtainable at other universities I checked out on the internet. I will later find out that it is not by website. So by April 2012, I obtained the admission form for 20,000 naira, completed and submitted it. I was thereafter invited for the qualifying exam, the crowd was massive. Thousands of unemployed and employed young Nigerians wrote the exam. By the end of November, 2012 I got a response from the PG school that I have been offered admission into the Geoscience department of the university for full-time masters program. Despite the fact that the waiting time was long, I was happy that the process was merit based as against some cases where candidates can financially influence their admission into academic programmes. I quickly put in resignation at my work place, gathered my savings and ever determined to change my fortunes.

The registration was not a walk in the park. A lot pushing, fighting and cursing .The crowd was massive and the PG school had no plans on how to manage the situation coupled with their rude staff. Registration deadline came on the 31st of December 2012 and with some of the friends I have made through the registration process, we had to pay late registration despite coming on daily basis and unable to complete the process. The program was to last for a period of 18month and I spent about 350,000 naira paying for school fees, PG school brochure, departmental fees, accommodation, etc.

The first shocker came when I discovered that I had to do ten courses a semester! Most of the courses where completely irrelevant to my study option or were mere repetition. Some colleagues who had physics background did supposedly intro courses like ‘Geology for Non-Geologists’ together with ‘Plate Tectonics’ and ‘Advanced Structural Geology’. Can you beat that? Alarm bells already started going off in my head, this level of disorganization was not expected at this level. The courses were not properly structured and some of the lecturers were not coming to classes. We even had a non-PHD holder handling a course and treating the students in a very unprofessional manner! One or two lectures were outstanding though, in fact one was very faithful to his duties that we joked that even if fire was falling from heaven that he will still come to lecture, worthy to mention that he always served us hot coffee (quiz) every class.

Before the end of the first semester some colleagues have switched their study options while some opted out completely but majority of us persevered seeing it as the normal Nigerian thing. The semester was hectic to say the least and you dare not complain as the lecturers always remind us on how lazy we were and not ready to study hard. The Msc lecture hall made for maximum capacity of forty was used for over a hundred students; it is sandwiched between the workstation room and PHD cubicle, and has no ventilation. By April 2013, we wrote the first semester exams followed by short holidays before commencing second semester. ASUU struck! For about six months we waited for the FG and ASUU to resolve their differences. Now there is this debate among students about the underlying reasons for these incessant strikes. The general consensus is that although the government is not doing enough, the behavior of majority of the lecturers daily on our campuses creates doubts about their sincerity in improving the conditions of tertiary education in the country. My perception of ASUU and corruption in the nation’s tertiary institution is a piece for another day; I suggest that our dear president-elect should start tackling corruption from the education sector.

During the strike period, most of us sort ways to make ends meet. Personally I had exhausted all my savings on fees and daily running cost. So I went back to my old trade, informing my clients that I was available for the time being. It was never going to be like before but was enough to take care of basic needs and little savings for the coming semester was equally made. Some colleagues got involve in selection process for the student basin analysis competition organized by the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists and subsequently the international IBA equivalent organized by American Association of Petroleum Geologists. The competition is aimed at exposing geosciences graduate students to basin analysis, allowing them work with real-life geophysical data in conditions similar to what is obtainable in the oil and gas industry. The staff coordinator having bias for undergraduate students, schemed out graduate students in the selection process which meant that the team of five had two undergraduates for the AAPG competition. Nevertheless, the team went on to finish third place in the African Region finals behind a school from South Africa and another from Tunisia. The same unserious students achieved this feat with limited support! Again for the records, I learnt this week that the coordinator took a team made up of completely undergraduate students to a disgraceful outing in the 2015 competition. Now the question is this- is the department of geosciences, University of Lagos intentionally sabotaging their postgraduate programs for any reason?

After the strike was called off, we went back to finish the second semester and write the exams after several postponements. At this point, I started understanding the problems with the department; the former HOD has left during the strike, throwing the department into chaos with unresolved issues with the PG school. By the time we wrote exams by mid 2014, we started hearing that some the courses will be merged. In fact some people did not write some courses and up till now we do not know what the official status is. We have attended lectures and wrote exams before they brought out a suppose list of new streamlined courses. What is going to happen to the exams that we have written? You dare not protest or you will be asked where you are rushing to.

After the second semester exams, next in the series of drama was the compulsory field trip for geoscience students. They kept postponing it until I had to travel for a job. I was outside the country when I was informed that a final date has finally been set. I did not comeback until two days to departure just to be sure. We heard that release of funds was responsible, and then so many other unpleasant stories which I will not go into at the moment also surfaced. We had paid 60,000naira each for the field trip at registration and by the time we were going for the field trip the funds have been in the bank for over eighteen months so we did not understand the delay in release of funds. So on that faithful Sunday we left on a chartered bus to a remote location at EDO state for the field trip. This was in the raining season. When we got to the guest house, we discovered that adequate preparations have not even been made; they started running around reserving few rooms for lecturers and the ladies, asking the rest of the guys to use the reception hall of the guest house. Mosquitoes will become our best friend as we labour for 2 weeks instead of the proposed three weeks. Some of the guys protested and were swiftly rebuked after all we were being done a favour. But the protest brought some results as an additional suite was paid for with about 20 occupants struggling to find a sleeping spot with their camp bed or duvet. Luckily for me, I brought something to lay my head on and quickly claimed a sleeping spot while the rest resigned to the hall.

Third semester is the final and when the thesis should be completed, it has equally become another episode; we have gone to the field to map and paid to take our samples abroad for analysis. Some colleagues are still waiting for DPR to release data for their project. As at April 2015 some colleagues have not had their project proposal approved by their supervisor. When you visit it is from one story to another. The lecturers complain that they are being overworked as if it is my fault that the department has refused to get enough manpower. My supervisor is not even reading anything that I am writing as he is clueless on the subject.

Yet another scam- We are being asked to pay fees for the third semester, nobody told us this from the beginning. The payment we made initially was with the understanding that we have paid for the entire program.

To sum it all, the convocation list for the 2015 convocation ceremony had no full-time geosciences student is in the list. Not even the 2011/2012 set! The friends I made during registration from other departments have all graduated. What is disturbing is that the PG school has continued to sell entrance forms at exorbitant prices, charge exorbitant school fees without doing any meaningful thing to resolve this faux pas. Some innocent Nigerians are waiting to write entrance exams this year again.

I invite the NCC, the EFCC, ICPC and indeed the ministry of education to investigate this scam.

While I am a bit comfortable at the moment and do not care again whether the department repents or not; many of my colleagues are not, some married men resigned their jobs for this nonsense, now they can neither go forward nor backwards. The parent of a colleague has accused him of failing his exams and making up stories to cover up. I see some doing demeaning jobs just to survive, it is a big shame!
In this season of change and as an agent of change, I want change!! I believe that majority of my colleagues whom I have not written on their behalf equally want change!!!

Uneme Nekwa
Lagos, Nigeria

Please can this be move to the front page by the mods so more people can see it.
we still have innocent Nigerians falling for this scam.

I sympathise wit d condition, Msc. At Unilag is not d best choice in Nigeria as far as i am concern. Am an Msc student of UI full time Energy Technology and Management student, i cud remember that i purchased my form somtime around Dec 2013, that was late entry though. Wrote entry exam March 2014 and was offered admission. d session kicked off arnd June 2014 wit registrations along wit light lectures and as now april 2015 our third semesters has just begun, but we will anoda sch fees too. No hitches so far, so to me UI PG is d best in Nigeria as at now. ma opinion though

It's pathetic what is happening in our institutions.

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Na waoh, Sorry this kind thing can never hit fp. Since its not from tonto dike

Hmmmmm....I am also a victim o. Dia z God oh!!

Am also a victim of dis fraud,a semester for a year and the PG sch still goes ahead 2 sell new forms for d dept..Msc Geosciences @ unilag is a total scam..These should be on d front page so dat dat oda Nigerians won't be a victim of dis fraud