‘We and Buhari are one’

Chairman, Executive Trainers Ltd, explains why he
wants recent probe extended by the Federal Ministry
of Education to other institutions of higher learning
in Nigeria

The recent setting up, by the Federal Ministry of
Education, of investigative panels to probe allegations
of corruption against heads of institutions of higher
learning like the Federal University, Dutsin-Ma,
Kastina State; Michael Okpara University of
Agriculture, Umudike, Umuahia, Abia State; University
of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State; Federal University, Kashere,
Gombe State; University of Abuja, Federal Capital
Territory; University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State;
University of Calabar, Cross River State; Federal
Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State; Federal Polytechnic,
Oko, Anambra State and Yaba College of Technology,
Yaba, Lagos State, has been praised by Dr. Ayodele
Ogunsan, Chairman, Executive Trainers Ltd (the
training outfit which has, since its establishment in
2008, been engaged in the hosting of international
higher education executive programmes and training
of higher institutions executives).
Ogunsan who spoke on the issue while briefing
education correspondents, recently, on the goals,
activities and programmes of the training outfit, apart
from welcoming the probe (whose reports had since
been submitted by the various probing committees),
also called for its extension to virtually all Nigerian
institutions of higher learning – monotechnics,
polytechnics, colleges of education and universities –
whether there are petitions hanging over the heads of
the institutions or not.
“Some of the schools mentioned in the probe reports
are known to me,” he said. “In fact, about 80 per cent
of them are my customers. When I got the details
from newspapers, I placed a call to every one of them
(the heads) to chat with them.”
Though in total support of the probe, he nonetheless
called for caution over what he sees as spurious
allegations flying about in some of the institutions
concerned. “Some of them I have been following their
stories,” he revealed. “I will say in some of these
institutions, naturally some people are mischievous.
Nigeria is a country where petition is rated high. A
little disaffection from a younger staff to a senior
staff, maybe on personal ground, can make people to
go out of their way to write petition to anywhere and
by the time those things are investigated, you would
discover that some of these things are personal. Now,
that the report has been concluded and submitted to
the honourable Minister, I am sure 60 per cent of the
outcome will be things that could have been resolved
internally. But I also want to agree that maybe about
40 per cent of that report may indict some of those
institutions.
“My counsel is: Mr. President should extend the net to
virtually all the institutions of higher learning in
Nigeria. He should cleanse the system. There should
be no sacred cow in our education system. It is my
desire and plea that he should cleanse the system
and where the system is clean, he should still clean it
the more. I am saying it on this platform that chief
executives of institutions of higher learning should,
please, manage the resources of their institutions
judiciously. Some of them I have had opportunity of
raising IGR (internally generated revenue) for them.
We know how difficult it is. We are with Mr. President
on this area and we will support him all the way to
make sure all the institutions are cleansed.
“Everybody talks about the change mantra and that’s
exactly what we are doing. ETL has plugged into that
and we are doing a lot to sanitize the higher
education system in Nigeria. People ask us, why don’t
you go into other areas of training? We tell them, no,
we have identified this sector, higher education, and
we are passionate in taking higher education to the
next level, here and in Africa.

“Our education should be run professionally, should
be run with little or no government help or support. It
should be run profitably and competitively to global
standards and we have been able to partner up to 13
notable higher institutions across the globe, in United
States, United Kingdom, Canada, Dubai, Africa,
Singapore, Zambia, Ghana, South Africa and several
other countries, to compare notes with some
important institutions, so that they can interface with
them, learn from their success stories and then see a
way of imbibing what they have and replicate them
here. We’ve been able to achieve a lot.
“I can boldly tell you today that there is no institution
in Nigeria that has not been trained by Executive
Trainers. I don’t think there’s any head of higher
institutions in Nigeria that has not participated in our
conferences and workshops both locally and abroad.
The testimonies that we’ve been hearing have been
very, very fantastic. Through our links, we’ve been
able to establish a student-student transfer, lecturer-
lecturer transfer, and transfer of technology. We’ve
been able to help institutions procure what they need.
We’ve been able to help them in taking their lecturers
abroad for both short time and long-time training. Our
training touches every sphere of higher institution.”