"I can't validate anything like that because I just
came to close down the school. I'm here to close
the campus down; we are closing the school in
30 days. Academic programmes have since
stopped". Pete Sith, President Saint Paul's
College, Virginia, U.S.A
.
According to Sahara Reporters, the College
(University) where Ms Stella Oduah claimed to
have attended for her Master's Degree in
Business Administration, had not only stated
that: "we do not have any graduate programmes
at all", exposing the fraudulent claim, but it has
disclosed that the school was closing down due
to "financial reasons".
.
The College was founded in 1888 – one of several
universities established by various Christian
denominations for the education of kids born into
those faiths. The most widespread were Catholic
colleges. As populations grew and the people
became more wealthy, on the aggregate, it was
assumed that college enrollment would also
increase for ever. In fact, the baby boom, which
occurred after the Second World War,
encouraged the expansion of many universities.
.
Nobody foresaw the break that would come as
the generations which would follow started
practicing birth control and having fewer babies.
.
Today, some American universities are
experiencing a scarcity of students and a few,
like St Paul's College are closing down. There is a
lesson for Nigerians in this development. The
next series of articles might as well be titled THE
VULNERABILITY OF PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES, and it
will still be correct; because, the sustainability of
Nigerian private universities is more suspect
than most people realize.
.
It is a matter of money and control. We start with
fate-based universities and the sustainability
problems which they pose. The Federal Ministry
of Education through the National University
Commission, NUC, had eagerly accredited
private universities merely by assessing the
individuals or groups promoting them at the
moment and without asking if their successors
will be able to carry on for – ten, twenty, fifty,
hundred years from now.
.
St Paul's has only served to remind us that
universities, like all things established by people,
actually die. Some sooner than expected.
.
Below is the list of the few Nigerian private
universities which had been established by
religious groups – Christians and Muslims in
alphabetical order:
1. Achievers
2. Ajayi Crowther
3. Al-Hikmah
4. Babcock
5. Benson Idahosa
6. Bowen
7. Covenant
8. Crescent
9. Joseph Ayo Babalola
10. Madonna
11. Novena
12. Redeemers
13. Wesley
Dele Sobowale
.
There might be one or two missing from the list,
but, that would not invalidate the points being
made here.
.
About two weeks ago, writing on the Business
pages of the VANGUARD, under the title THE
INHERITORS: WHY NIGERIA'S ONE MAN
BUSINESSES DON'T LAST, the point had been
made that the spirit of the founder of a great
business empire had not been demonstrated to
be inheritable by his successors. No big Nigerian
business had survived beyond the founder. The
series is still on.
.
Unfortunately, when we examine the history of
most religious bodies established by Nigerians,
using Christian churches as examples, we can
easily observe a unique trend which might pose
dangers to the fate-based universities in Nigeria.
.
Two churches will be sufficient to illustrate the
point – the Cherubim and Seraphim Churches
and the Christ Apostolic Church.
.
There are, at least, twenty separate groups
laying claim to the name Cherubim and
Seraphim; yet all started from the church
established by Mose Orimolade. The Christ
Apostolic Church is once again going through the
motions for "reconciliation". There are now over
twelve bodies to be reconciled. But, the Christ
Apostolic Church started with Joseph Ayo
Babalola.
.
Fortunately for the C&S churches, Mose
Orimolade died before the arrival of private
universities.