THERE IS FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN

I'm ashamed of being a Nigerian,

With all the issues on ground, should we start talking about increment of any form? I pray this country would not worsen to the extent when we would need to go to countries like Ghana or Benin Republic to hire people to govern us.
The intellectuals among our leaders better do something before Militancy become a household name in every state.
I pray what happened in Ghana some years ago would not repeat itself in our own Nigeria. We love our leaders but they hate us in return. They are only interested in what would fetch them some cash.

I believe some of this people making these painful policies don’t have their kids in this country.

Before Nigeria use to be a place where laws are made for the poor alone, but now, education would only be for the rich, Presidents breeding Presidents, Governors breeding, Senators breeding Senators.

I don’t know what Asa was thinking about when she sang there is fire on the mountain, but indeed, I can see that coming to reality

I KNOW WE STILL HAVE GOOD LEADERS, BUT WHERE ARE THEY ?

180grand per session?

How will widowed mama peter (with her little provision store) pay peters tuition?

How will Mr. Tayo Adigun (a driver with a state ministry) pay his sons, Bayo and Dayo's tuition?

How will Osas (a cash teller in a bank), the first son of a family of 5 (obviously), with two younger ones in tetiary institution cope?

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAADUAAAAAAAAAAAA.
YOU ARE EVIL, SURROUNDED BY EVIL ADVISERS.

You and your cohorts can afford to send your kids to Havard, Yale, Princeton, Oxford etc. But you will not give us the Masses the opportunity to send our kids to Unilag, U.I, ABU, Uniben, OAU, UNAD etc

Yaradua, just be ready for the repercussions of your inane decision(s).

I no blame you. maybe your thinking capability is being affected by your terminal disease. You puddle of shit. Insensitive piece of rag.

i think we should all keep our fingers crossed rather than say our youth can destroy the whole university biulding in Nigeria

The trio of SSANNU, ASUU, & NASU. should not condone dis attitude from the Federal Govt. or else Kasala go Burst.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/21072009/news/news6.html
Am confused here, who is blackmailing who?

@A-Town,
Ur veiw on this issue is quite unsympathetic of the masses, or could be you dont read the comment of SSANU's President?, so you are of the opinion that Governors should produce governors while cobbler produces cobbler. I beileve you are one of those that can afford, and dont want compettion for your children, but mark you, you will not be able to face the consequences
Tell me what percentage of nigerian children have enjoyed free education up to secondary school, even if available people dont have confidence in them, the only way the masses can benefit in the country now is been hiked.

its obvious that this country will one day collapse like pack of cards, but b4 then, may God kill all those that are enjoying our wealth

People want to call Sweden and the USA when talking about economic policies.

In 1999 I was meant to school in UCLA till I totalled the cost of my course and it was $20,000 per session or thereabout. That is not the most expensive school in the USA, but it will let you understand what I'm talking about. So I finally went to UNIBEN where my school fees as at that same 1999 was $10 (N1200) in fact, when I was paying my first school fees at the New Nigerian Bank on campus, I met a 300 level student and she had to ask me to help her spell THOUSAND.

I know a graduate from the AAU and she uses her second class upper honours LLB which Nigeria paid for to raise kids, cook meals and attend parties.

Let's go back to Sweden and the USA. Sweden has a Personal Income Tax of more than 50%. The USA produces 3 times more crude oil than Nigeria and the taxation is much higher than Nigeria's still, but unlike Nigeria, you could spend good time in jail for not paying your tax to the cent. Ask Wesley Snipes.

California has a GDP higher than most countries in the world and about ten times the GDP of Nigeria yet it's this same place that UCLA is and they are charging their citizens good money for education. In fact, as we speak, the state of California is totally broke! Schwarzenneger didn't steal the money. The state cost trillions of dollars to run even where education is not free.

I once told an American that my tuition was $10 and he wished he could school in Nigeria because his tuition was about $8000, but I pitied him not because of the cost he incurs, but because he wanted to come to a school where I was more versed in the courses than 80% of my lecturers.

The issue of University Autonomy started in UNIBEN, introduced by Prof. A R Anao he sold it to the government and they accepted, yet same man turned around and rejected his own plan afterwards because he wanted to raised tuition, but also wants FG to pay salaries.

With autonomy comes the solution.

^nex, my brother, you are almost there save for the small mistake of putting the cart before the horse. True, quality should never come free else it will be used to cook soup and attend parties . but where is the quality to talk about in Nigerian Unis in the first place? matter of fact, where is quality anyhere at all in Nig?

Everybody distrusts the government, in Sweden, in the USA, in Iran and in Nigeria.

Look at the demands ASUU and SSANU are making. They want only 60% autonomy, so they can control everything about the school, but the remaining 40% which is revenue generation should be for government. Is there anything like partial autonomy? It will only be compared to dictatorial democracy.

The same very thing happens in NTA where they generate billions of Naira annually, share the money, vandalize government property, throw lavish bonuses and allowances on each other and finally go to the Federal Government to collect salaries when they don't remit a dime of revenue.

An additional demand is that they want to keep lecturing even at 67, 68, 69 and 70 years of age. If Obasanjo want to exceed his tenure, we'll complain just because he's a government official, yet professors want to exceed their retirement age and everyone is showing support. At an age where we're asking all sectors of the country including the government to be rid of the old so that the new can come in, we are watching these old men continue to perpetuate themselves till death. If they take an extra 10 years on their jobs, those unemployed youths waitin to get employment would have to wait another 10 years for professors to retire, for lecturers to be promoted and for there to be vacancies for them.

They want 100% salary increase. Okay, like all of a sudden there was 100% revenue increase for the nation. This is the most pressing reason why the Federal Government is trying to institute total autonomy.


When the private universities came, a lot of us laughed at them, but they're generating revenue, paying their lecturers and building their facilities.


gbubs said that government has no business running educational institutions, but really government has no business even in providing electricity, selling subsidized fuel, selling food or paying rent.

People should know the meaning of the word GOVERN.

@Nezan

In summary, the hike is not justifiable, instead of this long grammer

My dear Nezan,
I have observed that most of your responses, even on very serious, debatable issues are[b] "just one or two words" (mostly insults) or a couple of "Smileys" at best![/b]

While l concur that not everyone is gifted in writing or putting their "thoughts on paper", it behooves you to at least let alone, those that put their brain-faculty to good use, instead of trying to ridicule what you can only achieve in your dreams?


Even in your criticism, you could not spell the word "grammar" correctly! 
Now l can understand why some erroneously think its okay to pay 180K for University tuition! ,
Just maybe some will allow "the University" to pass through them, instead of just passing through the University!

I still disagree though, and l have marshaled my reasons, as best l as l could, in my last post,
Dont kill the "messenger", focus your attention on the "message" pls.

Even if we pay 1Million naira tuition fee, those who will not learn "shishi' would still come out of the University "empty and hollow"

"Education is the only lasting legacy worth bequeathing to a Child". Funding should never be a barrier to that.

Lastpage

What did u expect the like of Yardua and PDP led government to provide for Nigerian citizen than chaos and conflict because they dont have any good things to offer Nigerian.  While they busy sending thier children to foreign universities how would they care about the poor masses.  May God Almighty save us from them.

Fellow Nigerians,pls let us cultivate the habit of saying few words of "PRAYERS" for our dear country daily.this is the only country
we can truely call our own.the only solution we need now is to call upon GOD as our "RULERS" and not "LEADERS" are not willing
to listen to the voices of the people.let us pray for Naija,the country belongs to us and not to them.

GOD BLESS NIGERIA.

Infact i'm joinning Ateke Tom and his Militants group next week,we're going to use the mother of all plagues on this goddamn,God-forsaken geographical entity called Nigeria.All d sons of our Pharoes will die,we'll sink Aso rock,bombard their homes in their individual states,bomb all d universities in Nig.U better join us now in our esteemed MEND.We need 2 recruit more armies 4 dis God-given task.

paulo.com:

Fellow Nigerians,pls let us cultivate the habit of saying few words of "PRAYERS" for our dear country daily.this is the only country
we can truely call our own.the only solution we need now is to call upon GOD as our "RULERS" and not "LEADERS" are not willing
to listen to the voices of the people.let us pray for Naija,the country belongs to us and not to them.

GOD BLESS NIGERIA.

Amen

hmmmmmm ,

some times i just wish God will strike Aso Rock with fire and thunder!!!!!

I don't agree with all of you.
As a matter of fact, this is the only reasonable plan that i have seen from this administration.
University education is not for everybody. Free education up to secondary school stage is enough.
If you really want to go to college, then you should have the brain for it. If you do, there are bursaries and scholarships available.
The reason we have the type of college grads that we have today is because 99% of them used EXPO to get into school.
What is the point of graduating 1 million students every year when you only have 100,000 jobs available.

If you feel you really need to go to college and you are poor and not smart enough, go get a loan.
This may seem harsh but is the best thing that will happen to the education system.
Tertiary education in Nigeria should not be FREE.

Its never been free.

@ nezan

Yeah. GOD BLESS NIGERIA but punish the enemies of the country

Who are the enemies?FG? Well i think they are.

this is seriously unreasonable, Yes I can now believe that Yar'Adua is definitely a Dumb, He tend not to act as if He was once part of the Struggle.

nex:

People want to call Sweden and the USA when talking about economic policies.

In 1999 I was meant to school in UCLA till I totalled the cost of my course and it was $20,000 per session or thereabout. That is not the most expensive school in the USA, but it will let you understand what I'm talking about. So I finally went to UNIBEN where my school fees as at that same 1999 was $10 (N1200) in fact, when I was paying my first school fees at the New Nigerian Bank on campus, I met a 300 level student and she had to ask me to help her spell THOUSAND.

My brother's wife is a graduate from the AAU and she uses her second class upper honours LLB which Nigeria paid for to raise kids, cook meals and attend parties.

Let's go back to Sweden and the USA. Sweden has a Personal Income Tax of more than 50%. The USA produces 3 times more crude oil than Nigeria and the taxation is much higher than Nigeria's still, but unlike Nigeria, you could spend good time in jail for not paying your tax to the cent. Ask Wesley Snipes.

California has a GDP higher than most countries in the world and about ten times the GDP of Nigeria yet it s this same place that UCLA is and they are charging their citizens good money for education. In fact, as we speak, the state of California is totally broke! Schwarzenneger didn't steal the money. A state cost trillions of dollars  to run even where education is not free. 

I once told an American that my tuition was $10 and he wished he could school in Nigeria because his tuition was about $8000, but I pitied him not because of the cost he incurs, but because he wanted to come to a school where I was more versed in the courses of more than 80% of my lecturers.

The issue of University Autonomy started in UNIBEN, introduced by Prof. A R Anao he sold it to the government and they accepted, yet same man turned around and rejected his own plan afterwards because he wanted to raised tuition, but also wants FG to pay salaries.

With autonomy comes the solution.

Like I have always said, the federal government has so much powers but lack little oversight and governance. To some extent I will agree that the tuition be raised not because people cannot afford the tuition but instill the values and discipline, and also to better the education environment. I use myself as an example, my tuition expense at my university was $450 per credit hour and three credit hours make one course, so I paid $1,350 per course x 5 classes in a semester, then do the math. Trust me, I wouldn't want to pay another $1,400 for a class because I had a D or an F, so I have to study hard to get at least a B in all courses. In addition, because I was in the School of Management (SOM student), I had to pay SOM fees of $40.00, and I had about 10 SOM classes, then add all other list of fees and you will know its no child's play. Not only that, as SOM students, there is a minimum grade which we must get to pass the class for instance two pre-req finance and one accounting class I had to take, I had to make "at least" a B- , other wise I would end up retaking the class again.  Believe me one would understand the value of education when you pay close to $8,000 every semester as an in-state resident, not out-of-state let alone international student, you will learn to have A's by force and not C's. Then again, if govt has to increase tuition, they must make available academic and need based federal/state scholarships and grants, and also guarantee subsidized and unsubsidized educational loans for people who cannot afford it.

All I'm saying is that when school becomes free, no one takes it serious and most take it for granted, but when you have to pay for it through sweat, then you will understand the quality and value of your education. Nothing is free

why would he think of that? Well i no blame the FG, them never get brain. no battery them dey use survive.

Their children are all abroad, even those unborn. Why would they think of those of us here?

@ lastpage

You seem to blow a lot of hot air here but  what  I can discern  from you are mostly idealizations as if the government has an infinite pot of gold to spend from.

What is wickedness and evil about the society demanding that its work-shy lecturers start providing value for money and that students are actually in a position, because they are fee-paying customers, to hold lecturers and university administrators, accountable for their services?

Certainly as A -town has said those gifted but indigent students should be given some  kind of grant/soft loans.  But then again the courses chosen  by them should actually pass the cost-benefit test. All others should pay for their tuition.

Certainly the money saved should be used to bring the public secondary and primary schools up to international standard. When this is done numerous school leavers would be of more benefit to themselves and their community.

This is the evidence of a country that has failed totally.

There is nothing wrong with paying fees but when the fees is exorbitant and extortionate it becomes a matter of foolishness.

The difference between the current fee and the proposed fee is too huge to quantify. Depending on the university, the proposed fee is more than six times the current fee - that is at least 600% higher than the current fee.

How can the FG be so foolish to even think about students in this way?

Is this the best we can expect from Nigeria leadership?

NIGERIA is a failed country.

i pray that this country will not totally disappear

I wud want to know how many ppl that have obtained loans from 9ja banks without some sort of IM or Internal connection.
@Topic,The end times are here.

A-town,
Don't let me believe you're one of the people we are rebuking.
Anyway, if this administration really want to control the quality of education, is it the tuition fee that should be increased? I don't think President Yaradua and his VP are good lecturers who really know the plight of the Nigerian youth.

Is the FG opening a private university?

@-town, I wonder what a fool like u is doing on NL.We are prouldly 9ja here so i dnt knw why u r tinking as if u graduated from Harvard.Ur sugar-coated mouth is just as if u r operating from Aso rock.Anyhw i dont blame u,it is nt ur fault that u cudn't gain admission to a university,u must be doin well in that ur college of education because no reasonable govt or citizens wud want its education system to collapse, slowpoke clerk from ministry of education.

@tensor777

@ lastpage

You seem to blow a lot of hot air here but  what  I can discern  from you are mostly idealizations as if the government has an infinite pot of gold to spend from.

Hot air ke? How do you mean? like Hot air Balloon?
Anyway, l do not blow "hot air" and l do not speak "just idealizations", l state "processes & procedures", meaningful steps towards an objective.
Thats why most of the time, l even endeavor to number my points! If you need clarifications, just say so.
If there is "an infinite Pot" to steal and loot from, why not on something as noble as "Education"?

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic". – (Arthur C. Clarke)

What is wickedness and evil about the society demanding that its work-shy lecturers start providing value for money and that students are actually in a position, because they are fee-paying customers, to hold lecturers and university administrators, accountable for their services?

Your logic is funny! So, its only when student pay astronomical fees, that they are serious in their studies?
If we go by YOUR LOGIC, then everyone that attends those expensive schools (American University, Babcock, e.t.c, SHOULD GRADUATE "FIRST CLASS WITH DISTINCTION!
But we both know Nothing like that exists!

Certainly as A -town has said those gifted but indigent students should be given some  kind of grant/soft loans.  But then again the courses chosen  by them should actually pass the cost-benefit test. All others should pay for their tuition.

I want to assure you that NO COURSE IS USELESS!, in a well structured society.
The fact that "everyone in Nigeria wants to work in either a bank, a Telecoms or an oil company, is a direct result of a dysfunctional society where "NAIRA IS GLORIFIED". Even a Doctor want to work in a bank, since thats where the money is, in Nigeria!

In advanced climes like Europe and the Americas, "Artisans", who are the poorest in Nigeria, are among the best paid. Go and find out.
And please, when you get your own "educational loan from a Nigerian bank" let us know so you can put us through  

Certainly the money saved should be used to bring the public secondary and primary schools up to international standard. When this is done numerous school leavers would be of more benefit to themselves and their community.

Waoh! Now you contradict yourself!!
The same logic you're applying here, is what we were saying all along, about University education.
Govt should "subsidize the Bill" so that "numerous University Graduates would be of more benefit to themselves and their community"!
**Take note of the "blue lines in your statement and my statement! Same-same, right?**

You can not prescribe "Govt funding for Secondary schools" (and rightly so) while withdrawing the same treatment for University education, which is even more expensive! (as in your first paragraph)

In all, l still stand that "It is Evil and Wicked" for those who enjoyed "Government scholarships and free education", even to further overseas, in their own days, (Govt Ministers and Mr. President himself) to now seek to "remove the same ladder" by which they climbed up, to their current status, for those coming behind.

BTW: Increased funding for University education will actually raise the standard of learning in the following ways:
1. Improved Academic infrastructure: Well equipped Laboratories will mean Graduates are really familiar and schooled in what they went to study unlike "Automobile Engineers" that have never 'dissected' a car in the Laboratory"!
2.) Motivation: The Lecturers will be more encouraged to put-in their best since the "tools of their trade" are readily available and learning will stop being "all theory".
3.) Efficiency: Proper Remuneration of Lecturers and students, at the right time, will imply less time spent on industrial actions and protests. This will translate into more time spent in the classroom, as in the private schools where the tutors hardly go on strike.
4.) Standardization: After a while, "academic standards" in general, will rise and the "bad apples" will be successively weeded from amongst the tutors and student population as those conditions which "necessitate and encourage" criminal behavior (bribery, exam cheating, cultism, indiscipline, e.t.c) will  become unfashionable an gradually fade out.
5.) Professionalism: At the end of the day, only well qualified people would be employed to teach since it is well remunerated (like being a Chartered Accountant) and the "bar" will be raised to employ only professionals.

If Govt now so wish at this stage, to make University tuition fee 1Million naira, it will not only be worth the money, but the system would have "matured enough" by not only providing alternatives for those who can not attain University education (Technical Institutes/Colleges) but in addition, "Infrastructure" would have being laid to absorb such people into the currently "non-existent" Manufacturing sector.

If all these still sound like "Hot Air", l will suggest you articulate YOUR alternative theories right here for us to read

"We should never forget that God granted us the power to reason so that we would do His work here on Earth - so that we would use science to cure disease, and heal the sick, save and make living meaningful". - Barack H. Obama

Lastpage.

Where's that phucking a-town? I'm sure Seun must have banned him now

Saying that we don't have a very BIG problem in this country is a serious understatement. With each administration comes great expectations that are not even close to being met.