Tuesday, 19th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

‘Nigerian public varsities graduates cannot compete with my secondary school students’

By Emmanuel Ande, Yola 
19 November 2016   |   3:28 am
“When the head boy of AUN Academy, Abdullahi Sani, started speaking, I was thinking it is one of the lecturers in AUN, but only for him to introduce himself as the head boy of AUN Academy," he stated. 
Atiku Abubakar

Atiku Abubakar

Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has described graduates of Nigerian public universities as brainless, saying they cannot communicate in English with the students of his private secondary school, the American University of Nigeria (AUN) Academy.

Abubakar, who spoke on Thursday evening in Yola during his birthday celebration organised by the management of AUN, said public universities graduates cannot fit into private industries due to their poor education and character.

“I was in the University of Zik in Akwa in Anambra State on Wednesday on the invitation of the university. There is no student in public universities that can speak English in an error-free manner like the head boy of my secondary, who just finished addressing us now.

“When the head boy of AUN Academy, Abdullahi Sani, started speaking, I was thinking it is one of the lecturers in AUN, but only for him to introduce himself as the head boy of AUN Academy,” he stated.

Atiku said his ambition to establish AUN was to ensure that Nigeria produced graduates of high quality, both in learning and character, at an affordable rate and avoid the stress of traveling to other countries in search of quality education.

He pointed out that only quality education could bring about technology development in any country in the world, not oil, gold or other mineral resources.

Atiku noted that a country that places emphasis on oil, instead of manpower development, is preparing to collapse, pointing out that quality education produces quality manpower that turns a country into a wealthy nation.

While addressing students of the Law Department, the former vice president restated that Nigeria would continue to move backward unless it is restructured to address the problems threatening its existing.

“When government set up the last constitutional conference, I sent my proposal to the conference and when the members received it, they all agree with the content and resolved to include it in their final report as part of their resolutions.

7 Comments

  • Author’s gravatar

    Your’e worried about Nigerian education. Here is South Africa one only needs a pass mark of 30% for a school leaving certificate – and only 27% of pupils achieve this level of “excellence”.

    A friend of mine who has just retired (gave up) as a professor from one of the last remaining Universities with anything like a decent reputation told me that most students had to spend their first year being taught the three R’s. To gentle this down a little, I believe this requirement first made it’s appearance in the US some years back.

  • Author’s gravatar

    i strongly disagree with you about no public university student being able to speak english in an error free manner! there are countless number of them!

  • Author’s gravatar

    Are you at the same time saying that journalists who work in Channels Television, NTA, AIT, all graduated from foreign universities or you are suggesting that the organizations they work for are government owned?

    With due respect sir, I think you’re wrong and you need to redress your statement.

  • Author’s gravatar

    The man does not know what he is talking about. Speaking flawless English does not determine how brilliant a person is. The Chinese, the Japanese, Indians don’t speak English like the Britons yet they have “Brains”. Mr Atiku should go and sit down. He should focus his efforts on the “ba tureisi” people in the north. He should take his students for quiz competition against OAU, UI or UNILAG students to test their strength in academics. The man forgot that those guys in his University couldnt score good marks in JAMB.

    • Author’s gravatar

      Can he even speak flawless English. Such a Neocolonialist mindset, where the people of China and the Japanese praise the own language. We in this part of the world still look down our culture. You will find model telecommunications devices with default language in Chinese or Japanese. What value has AUN added to Nigeria. How many of their graduates can stand on their own without referring back to the finances of their parents.

  • Author’s gravatar

    It is strange that a former V.P would think like this. Come to think of it this is Nigeria so its not so strange afterall. Since he couldn’t add value to our public educational system during his tenure in Presidency. Fact is many of the folks in government today are a product of these same public Universities. The fact is that he is just campaigning for more parents to send their wards to his school AUN.

  • Author’s gravatar

    With due respect, I don’t know where Atiku got his “education” or mis – education. Atiku’s education might have prepared him in “embezzlement skills” which has shortchanged many Nigerian public universities financially leading to the poor standards in these public schools. I remember when Nigerian public university graduates were sought after in the 70s and 80s until people like Atiku entered into the Nigerian political arena. A case in point was a connection between Atiku and a US congressman who was disgraced when he couldn’t learn Atiku – style embezzlement: the congressman hid Atiku’s $100,000 in a freezer. In Atiku’s skill, he would have been wearing it under his religious hat which would have been a no – go area for security operatives. Atiku might be right in his assessment but the blame lies on his and his ilks’ shoulders. Gowon could not speak “English” when he became the Head of State of Nigeria. Obasanjo went down the same road in his first missionary journey. Babangida couldn’t speak “English” which students of SE, SS, and SW extraction could understand when he mounted the rostrum. Abacha was worse than Babangida before he was “recalled” by the supernatural. Idiagbon of blessed memory was a megaphone for Buhari during Buhari’s first armada. Yet all these “quacks” have been selected to lead Nigeria instead of Atiku – like products! Recall that OBJ is a product of Nigerian public university, Open or Closed. And I presume OBJ may soon acquire a Ph. Z. from the same system which Atiku ridicules. OBJ are you there?