Date Published: 07/14/10
Obasanjo’s Scrapping of the National Institute for Nigerian Languages (NINLAN), Aba and Igbo Marginalization: Agenda for President Jonathan and the Minister of Education.
When the Babs Fafunwa-led Federal Ministry of Education (FME) was creating the three language-related Institutes namely: National Institute for Nigerian Languages (NINLAN), Aba, Nigerian French Language Village (NFLV), Badagry and the Nigerian Arabic Village (NAV), Ngala, to provide for the language needs of the nation as enshrined in the National Policy on Education, consideration was given to fair distribution of the Institutes according to the geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Thus, we have NINLAN in the East, NFLV in the West, and NAV in the North. By 1992 when these Institutes were established, it was only NINLAN, out of the lot that had a Decree (Decree 117, now Act 117) that empowers it to fulfil the objectives for which it was set up. It should be noted that since these are Federal Government establishments, the idea of citing NINLAN in the Southeast was a way of pacifying the people and further add to the Federal presence in that zone. It is generally known that the Igbo have always been crying of marginalization. NINLAN was thus embraced by them, especially by the Ngwa on whose soil it was founded. But this situation did not last as the Institute, was singled out for scrapping in 2006 for mere political reason through a Presidential fiat caused by President Obasanjo.
Between 2003 and 2006, when NINLAN was eventually illegally scrapped without due process and recourse to the Act establishing it, it was an open secret that the relationship between President Obasanjo and Orji Uzor Kalu, the former Governor of Abia state (the host state of NINLAN) had strained, at least politically. It took President Obasanjo no time then to pronounce the scrapping of the Institute as a reaction to a memo allegedly written by the former Executive Director of the Institute, Professor Ben Elugbe. While trying to buttress the need to develop Nigerian languages in a memo to Obasanjo through Mrs. Obaji, the then Minister, the Professor had quoted Asari Dokubo who also mentioned in a Tell interview the non-development of the Ijaw language as one of the reasons for taking up arms against the Federal Government. Though Professor Elugbe’s was innocently backing his argument with empirical evidences, this did not go down well with Obasanjo who felt slighted and had reacted thus ’that Institute should be scrapped. How can an Institute funded by my Government be making a case for militants? Moreover it is cited in a state governed by my enemy’. This statement marked the beginning of the travails of the Institute and its staff. It was the effort made by Obiageli Ezikwesili, the then Minister of Education, who saw the illegality in this move that led to the merger of the Institute with the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). But with this the Institute had lost her autonomy and Professor Elugbe had been illegally removed as the Executive Director without finishing his tenure. The vast 209 hectares of land claimed from the Ngwa people for the development of the place to make it compare with similar institutes in Mali, South Africa, Ghana etc. is thus lying in waste.
The Role of UNN: Matters Arising
The role of UNN under Professor C.O. Nebo when compared with a similar situation involving the University of Ibadan (UI) and the Nigerian Institute for Social and Economic Research (NISER), (though with different reason) was nothing to write home about. When UI was asked to take over NISER, the Vice Chancellor and the Governing Council of the University quickly pointed out the difficulties such merger might throw up, more so when it is a fact that Universities were and are not adequately funded by Government. The problems of taking over the liabilities of NISER which was greater than the assets, coupled with the insurmountable internal problems the university was facing were enough reasons to reject this move. But in UNN’s case, commercial consideration was first and foremost given for annexing NINLAN without minding the extra burden such exercise will place on the University. According to Professor Nebo then, with the Institute under the UNN more money would be made from students that will be admitted. The present ugly situation facing the staff of the Institute as a result of this merger would have been avoided if Professor Nebo and his group had towed the path of wisdom just like UI did.
The staffs of the Institute up till now have not been paid their 2007 salaries, the year the merger came into being, for no fault of theirs. The UNN in a rush to annex the Institute failed to critically examine the nitty-gritty of the take-over processes in an exercise jointly carried out by it and officials of the Federal Ministry of Education. No provision was therefore made for the 2007 salaries of staff. While some of the staff laid off as a result of the merger are dead and will never be paid, others alive, including those now on the staff of UNN are still not sure when the salaries will be paid. Rather than making a strong case for this with the FME, the UNN is trying to be silent about it. This situation is creating industrial disharmony between the staff at Aba and the UNN authorities. Even at times when it seems they are not making big noise about it, it is obvious that they (staff) are not giving their best as they strongly feel they are been denied their rights. The FME too feels unconcerned. In spite of several memos written to the Vice Chancellors (both past and present) and the Ministers of Education (erstwhile and present) nothing concrete has been done to address this issue.
The UNN has failed to merge her Department of Nigerian Languages and Linguistics at Nsukka with the Institute at Aba. Having similar programs with the Institute, one would have thought of the University immediately dissolving the Department into the Institute for effectiveness and coordination. But this is not so. The refusal of staff of the Department to leave Nsukka, where most of them have settled over the years, for Aba is still a sore point in the merger exercise. The difficulties in relocating their families have made them to reject whatever moves the University authorities are making about this and in order to let the sleeping dog lie, the University has remained silent on this after the initial talks. Furthermore, most staff of the Department have vowed not to work with the current Director at Aba, Professor Clara Ikekonwu who they see as wicked and inhuman following her antecedents as a former Head of the Department.
It seems their assessment of the Professor was right. The other staffs at Aba have had serious complains about Professor Ikekonwu’s maladministration since the former Vice Chancellor made her his choice and acceded to her high-handedness in running the place. Many junior staffs have been sacked by this Professor with impunity without any recourse to fair hearing and staff regulations. Because of the powers given to her as almost a sole administrator, by Professor Nebo and which she seems to be enjoying, senior members of staff who should have called her to order are also afraid of challenging her. Most of the projects handled by her are giving to her cronies or relations and because she is the sole signatory to the account of the University Demonstration Secondary School, where tangible money is made she is fond of spending it on projects conceived and planned by her without approvals from the Vice Chancellor who put her in the position to compensate her for the ‘good relationship’ they have enjoyed. For former staff of NINLAN, their rights have been trampled upon under Nsukka and have no say in their affairs. The autonomy they enjoyed in NINLAN had been eroded as a result of the merger.
Another set of people with grudges against Professor Ikekonwu are the Demonstration School teachers at the temporary site of the Institute who are being treated with contempt and paid pittance as salaries in spite of the fact that they are the ones keeping the school going for it to generate the revenue that the Director is siphoning. It may interest readers that the salary structure of this set of workers, which is low in the true sense of it, is different from the other campuses of the Demonstration schools of the UNN at Nsukka and Enugu, though all are under the same University and the same fees are paid by students of all.
What the merger has succeeded in doing are the following: a) reduced the number of Federal Parastatals in Igboland, b) created a loss of such parastatal in Abia state (Ngwaland) and gained by Enugu state though without full autonomy, c) reduced the number of Ngwa citizens that were once gainfully employed in the Institute d) denied the Igbo the opportunity of having one of the greatest institutes in the world in the mould of other similar national language institutes in the world e) increased marginalization of the Igbo as the NFLV at Badagry and the NAV at Ngala, Borno state which were established at the same time with NINLAN and in the same vein still exist. These are Institutes without existing laws establishing them when compared with NINLAN.
Interventions and Representations
Several interventions and representations, both individually and collectively have been made by prominent Ngwa indigenes in particular and Igbo citizens in general to either the former Ministers or late President Shehu Yaradua on the need to demerge the Institute from the UNN, but all to no avail. Instances of some of these attempts will suffice here.
When in 2007 President Yaradua came on board and proclaimed the ‘rule of law’ as a cardinal point of his administration, many people heaved a sigh of relief and believed that he would right the wrong committed by Obasanjo. Reverting some of the illegalities committed by the latter in the name of reforms further gave hope of getting judgement. A representation led by Eze O.J. Ananaba, whose community is the host of the Institute at Umuokhoia was made to the National Assembly Committee on Education. The Committee through its Chairman, Senator Joy Emordi agreed that the scrapping and merger were unjust and promised to reach President Yaradua to make him see reason for reversing the illegal exercise. It was later learnt that an Emir from the North, who was the Chancellor of the UNN then and, who had been contacted by Professor Ikekonwu in a bid to protect her illegal seat as the Director of the Institute prevailed on President Yaradua to let the merger be.
Other interventionist moves by Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe and Nkechi Nworgu –representing Abia South and North respectively did not yield any positive result. While Aja Nwachukwu as a Minister of Education shied away totally from making any concrete move on this matter in order to protect his job, Sam Egwu took some steps and even announced the illegality of it during a session at the 2008 National Council on Education. In spite of several pronouncements on the illegality of the merger nothing was done to concretize the demerger. Though, the matter seems to have been laid to rest, but there is a need to re-visit it for justice to be done and for posterity. Government needs to continue to assure the citizens that our laws are supreme whatever the circumstances. It is when this is done that the ruled will start to have faith in the Nigerian project.
In view of the facts stated above, which can be verified, we implore President Jonathan to look into this matter and direct the Minister of Education to demerge NINLAN from the University of Nigeria. By doing this, the autonomy of the Institute will be restored and it will be able to fulfil the objectives for which it was established. Leaving the other two language villages at Badagry and Ngala and scrapping the one at Aba is an injustice and another way of marginalizing the Igbo. The Minister too should look for a way of settling the backlog of salaries of staff of the Institute to restore their confidence in the system and motivate them. The 2007 salary is their inalienable right and the labourer deserves his wages. Lastly, a probe of the activities of the current Director of the Institute and a call to the authorities of the UNN are desirable as short-term measures.
Steven Thorpe, a social commentator lives at Enugu. |
