NIGERIAN BILLIONAIRES: AN EVIDENCE OF AN AILING TERTIARY EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

Tertiary education generally culminates in the receipt of certificates, diplomas, or academic degrees. It is in fact a rudder that directs the course of an unrefined ordinary man into civility, seemliness and elitism. As a result, the quality of education being dispatched at the tertiary level vastly determines the competence, dexterity and prospective success of the hoi-polloi in any nation.

            It is however, disheartening to that the so called “giant of Africa” is indeed dwarfed and austere in its educational sector especially at the tertiary level. This article is motivated by the recent dispel of post-utme exams in Nigerian universities. Concomitantly, It is not a far-fetched fact that 80 percent of Nigeria’s billionaires had their tertiary education outside the shores of this country. I will sight three Nigerian billionaires as a paradigm. Aliko Dangote, the richest black man had his tertiary education at Al-Azar university in Egypt, Mike Ishola Adenuga, the second wealthiest Nigerian studied in two American universities; Oklahoma and pace universities respectively, our very own Folorunsho Alakija, the third richest woman of African descent virtually had all education in U.K and U.S where she studied secretarial studies and fashion designing respectively. It is evident that the quality of education that has been instilled in these successful billionaires is no doubt a vast impetus for their mickle exploits and weal. In sharp contrast to this, the richest South African: Johann Rupert studied in South Africa where he bagged his degree.

            It is quite ignominious and unsurprising that only one Nigerian university is on the list of best Ten African Universities. The most shocking of this mediocrity is that the best Nigerian university is ranked 2,027^th in the world rankings. No wonder Harvard’s budget almost equals the entirety of Nigeria’s annual budget of which 25 percent is allocated to greedy and finicky politicians as allowances and salaries.

Imminently, Nigeria needs to pyrotechnically restructure its educational system particularly at the tertiary level in order to develop qualitative and world class elites that will be at the avant-garde of driving the future of Nigeria’s economy into prosperity and exuberance.

 

 

Femi Quadri Daniels