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Nigerians recently woke up to news of a possible university admission age increase from 16 years old to 18 years old, and many people weren’t pleased. Students already have to worry about increased school fees and multiple ASUU strikes, yet the Federal Government wants to add to it?
What do Nigerians who’ve passed through university think about this? We spoke to Nigerian graduates who were admitted into university between the ages of 15 – 16 years old and asked if they’d change anything about becoming undergraduates so young.
Temi
I’m petite, and I was extra small when I got into university that my classmates called me baby of the class. It wasn’t great at the time, but I wouldn’t change a thing now.
ASUU strikes increased my four years to six years, and I left uni at 22. If I’d been older in my first year, I probably wouldn’t have left until I was 24 or 26. Yet banks don’t even accept graduates older than 26.
The age I graduated allowed me to do some career trial and error and take up jobs just for the money. I’d have felt pressured if I was older.
Diane
I got into university at 15 and graduated at 19. I liked it because I had a delusional plan — make bastard money at 22 and marry by 25.
Now, I’m not sure entering uni so early was a good idea. I was immature and made a lot of mistakes. I was just following friends and dating people I shouldn’t have even been friends with. Parents need to think twice about sending impressionable children away to school so early. 17 for university is a good age.
Tunde
I left university at 20 and went on to study another four-year course a year later because I only went for my first degree to please my parents. I wouldn’t have had the courage to do that if I’d finished my first degree at 24.
Not everyone will have the privilege to get into uni early, but we shouldn’t take away that option. Most of us don’t enter school knowing what we want to do with our lives. Starting early gives you time to experiment.
Joseph
I entered university at 16, but if I knew what I know now, I’d have convinced my parents to let me wait till I was 18 years old. At least it’d have delayed my journey to adulthood by a few years. There’s nothing we’re rushing to do in this world. Now it’s just to work and work every day.
Hannah*
If I had the chance again, I’d still choose to get admitted into university early. There’s no point delaying the move if you’re done with secondary school. Young people everywhere are doing great things. It’s not until you’re 18 that you’ll automatically have sense. That’s a limiting mindset.
Motun
I don’t think 16 is too young for university. I was admitted at 16 too, and I like to think I’m a well-rounded adult today. If not for JAMB delays, I might’ve entered at 15. I’d have been okay with that, too. We need to understand that young people grow up faster these days. They need to know what they’re doing early so they don’t put that excess energy into something else.
Ayo*
I’m glad I entered university early because of the multiple ASUU strikes. I ended up spending seven years in school instead of five and still graduated at 23. Maybe in a world without strikes, I’d advocate for allowing young people to stay kids for longer. But that’s a luxury in Nigeria.
On Tuesday, January 2, President Tinubu’s government cracked down on foreign universities in Nigeria, blacklisting them for offering substandard education and questionable degrees.
This happened after Nigerian undercover journalist, Umar Audu, released a viral investigative report in December 2023. A Cotonou-based university issued him a degree certificate within six weeks. And he was able to enroll for NYSC with this fake certificate.
In light of this incident, the Nigerian University Commission (NUC) issued a statement noting that the FG had not licensed some of these universities and they had been shut down.
“The National Universities Commission wishes to announce to the general public, especially parents and prospective undergraduates, that the under-listed “degree mills” have not been licensed by the Federal Government and have therefore been closed down for violating the Education (National Minimum Standards, etc.) Act of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
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If you’re a Nigerian student seeking to study in a foreign university located in Nigeria, avoid the schools in this list:
University of Applied Sciences and Management, Port Novo, Republic of Benin, or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
Volta University College, Ho, Volta Region, Ghana, or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
The International University, Missouri, USA, Kano and Lagos Study Centers; or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
Columbus University, UK, located anywhere in Nigeria.
Tiu International University, UK, located anywhere in Nigeria.
Pebbles University, UK, located anywhere in Nigeria.
London External Studies, UK, located anywhere in Nigeria.
Pilgrims University, located anywhere in Nigeria.
West African Christian University, located anywhere in Nigeria.
EC-Council University, USA, Ikeja Lagos Study Centre.
Concept College/Universities (London) Ilorin, or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
Houdegbe North American University campuses in Nigeria.
Irish University Business School, London, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
University of Education, Winneba, Ghana, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
Evangel University of America and Chudick Management Academic, Lagos.
Cape Coast University, Ghana, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
African University Cooperative Development, Cotonou, Benin Republic, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
Pacific Western University, Denver, Colorado, Owerri Study Centre.
In August 2023, the University of Ilorin management cut down at least a dozen trees, presumably to make the university safer. A few weeks earlier, a heavy storm had uprooted trees on campus, which in turn fell on and destroyed buildings.
Subsequently, the university took down trees located near any structure. These trees had existed for decades before the structures.
Across Universities in Nigeria, UCJ Unilorin discovered a pattern of development that doesn’t adequately consider the environmental impact of new buildings and structures. To set up university buildings that span hundreds of acres of land, government and education authorities have to drop trees and sometimes relocate the previous settlers.
Students of these federal universities reported that tree-falling has only increased.
The environmental price of education
Established in 1948, the University of Ibadan is the first university in Nigeria. The university is home to numerous infrastructure, including halls of residence.
Seventy-five years into its existence, the University of Ibadan no longer has any sizable forest cover — they’ve been either cleared or fragmented to make way for the construction of lecture theatres, banking halls, and other structures.
Satellite imagery showing University of Ibadan in 2008
Current satellite imagery of the University of Ibadan shows that buildings have increased and forest cover has decreased.
Per the students, the university’s objective is to build and improve its infrastructure, so they must clear the land to install buildings.
“Although there are afforestation projects, the percentage of reforestation can never compare to the rate of deforestation,” Fabiyi said. “It takes years to grow a tree, but you can cut a hundred trees in one day.”
Another student of the University of Ibadan, Baliqeez Adebisi, a student of Forest resource management, told UCJ Unilorin that she thinks the university management could be more proactive.
“Once, a big tree in front of the university bookshop, which is as old as the university, was cut down. Shortly after, a heavy storm blew off the roof of the University Bookshop. Half of the bookshop became dilapidated.”
More recently, there was an entire caterpillar infestation at Heritage Park, University of Ibadan. Almost all the trees there became defoliated for weeks, but nobody paid attention until students noticed.
“When these trees dry up, they’ll eventually fall,” Adebisi said, “It is a caterpillar that develops into a moth species, and it’s a pest that’s endemic to West Africa.”
About 177 kilometres from Ibadan is University of Ilorin in Kwara state. The University sits on approximately 15,000 hectares of land with a population of over 50,000 people.
In its 10th consecutive year as the most sought-after higher institution, the university continues to invade land cover to allow human habitation due to its ever-increasing population.
University of Ilorin in 2008
University of Ilorin in 2023
In various interviews with students on the campus, they affirmed the rash effects of deforestation occurring intermittently in the community.
According to the president of the Students Association of the Department of Forestry, Muktar Abdulquadir, wildlife has had to scamper around as their original habitat has been destabilised. This poses the danger of extinction to these animals and the risk of animal attacks on the campus inhabitants.
“I vividly recall seeing squirrels on my way around school During my 100 level days. But now I rarely see them. I have also noticed a general decrease of diversity of tree species generally on campus in the course of my project.”
For his final year project, Muktar is documenting the characteristics of different tree species on campus to help identify these species. During his work, he discovered some species he should have worked on because they were available on campus have now been cut down. As a result, he has had to venture deep into the forest in search of them.
Like other universities, the University of Lagos also has a long history of deforestation and perhaps employs the most rash approach. Although there is no adequate information on the number of trees lost to deforestation in the university, the effects are telling on the entire campus community, particularly on students working on their final year project and having to identify various species in their work.
For instance, a student of Unilag who did not want to be identified told UCJ UNILORIN that she encountered issues while searching for Mona Monkeys in the forest area of the school — hostels have now replaced the mangrove forest — the monkeys’ habitat.
“They are in sparse now, unlike before when they could be easily found in large numbers,” she said
University of Lagos in 2008
The University of Lagos now.
Opeoluwa Ayomide, an alumnus of the university told UCJ Unilorin that during her stay at the university, “the air felt different.” She mentioned that the temperature had increased, and the air had unnatural smells.
“UNILAG students know that the air we breathe on campus is different; it doesn’t have the freshness it used to have. The campus has become so hot, like we are close to the sun, the trees that served as shade are no longer as much as they used to be,” Ayomide said.
Nigeria loses 350,000 to 400,000 hectares of forest every year. A report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO (2010) on deforestation trend in Africa revealed that Nigeria has lost more of its forestland within the last fifty years, making it one of the countries with the highest rate of deforestation in the world.
Deforestation has far-reaching consequences
According to the United Nations, Nigeria has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world. Globally, tropical deforestation contributes to 20% of annual greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the CO2meter, a typical tree can absorb 48 pounds of carbon dioxide annually. This means it will eliminate approximately 1 ton of carbon dioxide emissions by the time it reaches 40 years old. However, “on average, human activity puts about 40 billion tons of CO2 into the air each year. This means we would theoretically have to plant 40 billion trees every year.”
According to Tijesunimi Agbaje, an environmental specialist at Global Landscapes Forum, a knowledge-led platform for sustainable land use, human activities such as transportation, plastic pollution, and industrial processes leave carbon footprints in the atmosphere, but deforestation is one of the major sources of carbon emissions in the environment.
In addition to this, The average tree absorbs 10-15 gallons of water every day; their extensive roots soak in the excess water in the environment. When deforestation happens, the root system is destroyed, and the soil loses the capacity to absorb rainfall. As a result, more rainwater runs off the surface, leading to flooding during heavy rainfall events.
In 2022, Nigeria experienced one of the worst flooding she has ever experienced. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said 662 persons lost their lives, 3,174 suffered injuries and 2,430,445 individuals were displaced by the disaster.
“Carbon emissions are majorly absorbed by tropical trees. Temperate trees can also absorb emissions, but not as much as tropical trees. The remaining carbon goes into the ocean,” Agbaje explained. “But humans are constantly damaging both oceans and forests, and those are the two things that keep us alive and preserve the ecosystem.”
Image Source: University of Ilorin
Curbing deforestation in Nigerian universities and beyond
There have been efforts made by individuals and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to curb this gnawing issue. One such person who has contributed to this cause is Debo Ajenifuja, a program manager at the Alliance for Positive Environmental Impacts and Reforestation (APEARE)
To curb deforestation, Ajenifuja and his team devised an initiative to empower women from rural communities in Ibadan whose significant income was from cutting and selling trees. The team trained the women on cultivating short-duration trees, mainly “Thaumatococcus Daniellii“, used for “moinmoin” wraps.
According to Agbaje, Universities need to approach their architecture and development goals from a position that’s more inclusive of the environment. Development plans should minimise deforestation and the fragmentation of vegetation cover.
Editor’s note:
This story is part of a series we’ll be publishing in partnership with University of Ilorin’s Union of Campus Journalists (UCJ) to support the launch of their 2023 OPTIC magazine.
UCJ is the official student press body of the University of Ilorin and is home to over 300 journalists. It won Pen Club of the year at Youth Digest’s 2022 Campus Journalism Awards, and was a finalist under the magazine of the year category.
You can also support their work by:
Sharing these stories for more visibility.
Placing an order for the magazine or funding next year’s release. Please email the UCJ team at ucjunilorin@gmail.com
Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) are taking part in a nationwide protest starting July 26th, 2022. The NLC is Nigeria’s national umbrella body for trade unions with over four million members. This means it’s a big deal when the union takes an action like this as it could significantly disrupt socio-economic activities across the nation.
The goal of the protest is to do the impossible — to make the Buhari government listen.
What’s this protest about?
The NLC first announced the strike action after its National Executive Council (NEC) met on June 30th, 2022. The group then communicated its decision to state chapters in a July 15th circular. The national executives urged the chapters to mobilise members to participate in the protest.
What was the reason for the decision? The NLC was unhappy at the failure of the government to make a deal with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to put an end to a strike that has kept Nigerian students at home for five months.
An ASUU strike is old men talking for months and young Nigerians sitting at home.
In February 2022, university lecturers reignited their unending war with the Federal Government by going on strike. The strike started only as a warning, just like how the suya seller gives you a taste before you decide if you want to buy more. The Federal Government decided to buy more of ASUU’s suya.
The two have been playing a game of Tom and Jerry since then while students have watched from the sidelines unamused.
Here’s an unintentionally hilarious video from when the strike first started:
The issues that caused the February 2022 strike aren’t any different from the ones that caused the 2020 strike which lasted nine months — revolving mainly around salary structure and payment, earned academic allowances, university funding, autonomy and academic freedom.
How does the NLC strike affect anything?
The NLC strike will take place in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The goal of the action is to force the Federal Government to conclude the ongoing negotiations with ASUU and other aggrieved trade unions in universities. The takeoff points for the protest are the Labour House in the FCT and state secretariats of the NLC.
Member unions that have expressed full backing for the strike include the Senior Staff Union of Nigeria (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions (NASU).
The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) is also participating in the strike, so you might experience some electricity issues that won’t get immediate attention.
The Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) is also participating in the protest, so there may be some disruption in the aviation industry.
The Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige, also claimed the Department of State Services (DSS) doesn’t want the protest to hold because they fear hoodlums may hijack it. And that’s really just something the Nigerian government says about every protest these days to try and shut it down.
How long will the protest last?
NLC’s action is only a warning strike to take place for two days: July 26th and July 27th. The group will decide on what further action to take depending on how the government responds.
On November 5, 2018, while some unlucky student was fighting for the last seat in the Keke so he could get to school early, the Academic Staff Union of Universities began an indefinite strike.
The reason? Well, according to ASUU, the Federal Government has been doing them wayo for a minute.
The men in Abuja have refused to approve better salaries or pay agreed allowances for lecturers in public universities.
Lowkey, this strike is just a rebirth of one that supposedly ended in September 2017.
When he was calling the lecturers to arms, The National President of the Union, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi said something along the lines that the lecturers will not resume until “government fully implements all outstanding issues as contained in the MOA of 2017, and concludes the renegotiation of the 2009 agreements.”
So, what is this MOA?
It’s simply a memorandum–an agreement with terms that the FG agreed to fulfil in the coming future.
Apparently, a day in real life is equivalent to 10 years in Aso Rock.
Think of the Memorandum as a final attempt to ensure some decorum, like when the Barbers Association agrees on prices for haircuts and makes all the barbers paste it on their mirrors. Why would that be necessary, you ask?
Well, the FG and ASUU have been at it for quite a while. In the last 19 years, ASUU has had to pull out the lecturers for a cumulative 40 months.
40 months equals three years and four months. That’s six months less than a presidential term. That’s six months less than it should take to get a Bachelor’s Degree.
What it means is that, if you spent four years in a Nigerian University, odds are you were out of school for an average of eight months.
That’s one month less than it takes to make a baby, which then explains a lot of things.
It’s created a very big problem for ASUU. Everyone knows that thunder hardly strikes in the same place but ASUU has been doing it for decades.
So when the issue of gaps in our academic calendars comes up, the blame mostly goes in one direction – The Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities aka ‘ASUU’ aka “Super Strikers” aka “Sango’s Children” aka… the names go on.
The truth though is that most of these strikes happen over money.
That’s right – we all have the same problems, even when you’re an association with hundreds of members in the 60s and 70s.
For years, ASUU has maintained education deserves a larger chunk of the budget than it gets. And they’re right.
Over 60% of Nigeria’s population is aged below 25 i.e people who should be getting an education.
Yet, only a measly 7% of the 2018 budget was allocated for education at all levels.
For context, the United Nations recommends that all countries allocate 26% of their national budgets to education.
But Naija no dey ever hear word.
Remember something about the ‘renegotiation of the 2009 agreements’?
Well, every time ASUU goes on strike, the FG pulls out its mediators, holds several meetings at midnight with the lecturers, agrees to a new set of terms.
The strike gets called off.
And everyone moves on.
Till they remember nothing has changed.
Rinse, Repeat.
It’s a vicious cycle. While the rest of the country resumes work or school today, undergraduates around the country will have their lives on hold for the 63rd day running.
Despite seven meetings, ASUU and the FG have failed to reach an agreement on a way forward.
After a meeting at the end of December 2018, ASUU’s Oga at the Top dropped the names of 11 universities where lecturers are underpaid’.
He also said “the government kept saying they were working on it. If they pay that money, we will have something to take back to our members.”
So, yes, money is the problem. But odds are if you asked the FG, you’d get one response…
It’s now two months and counting since students around the country were made to start their Christmas holidays early, or take quick vacations to bae’s house.
You’ve heard all the regular bits of advice by now; learn a trade, read some books, travel (if you have dollars), pick up a hobby, and put your time to good use.
Either way, negotiations are ongoing. ASUU and the FG have scheduled another meeting for Monday, January 7.
Let’s hope the money flows and the halls can be filled again.
