A certain individual came up with a piece of write up where he stated 5 reasons you must not school in Benin Republic private universities. A truly negative press on a popular online platform. Permit me to quickly point out that the author of the write up intentionally added ‘Opinion’ in round brackets after the topic, a subtle attempt to convey to innocent readers that the content represents majorly his own personal opinion and may not necessarily be the general reality of they way things really are on the ground.
Suffice to also point out that, the individual also expressly indicated that his experience is based on only one year of study in a certain Benin Republic private university. Therefore he wrote or spoke from the point of view of a fringe student who only saw things from that perspective. I bet he didn’t see beyond the views of a student.
On my part, I had to quickly put this rejoinder together in response to that negative press, that largely misinformed the public and misrepresented the reality. While this is not an attempt to invalidate his claims, there’s need to put records straight and allow the general public see the bigger picture if not the whole picture.
I have been in the Benin Republic private university (anglophone section) system for an excess of 9 years, and I have functioned in different capacities, beginning from lecturing across several universities, across Benin Republic, and then in the capacity of an administrator. In my years of experience and in the perspective different from that of students, here are some the claims I agree and disagree with:
Controversial Certificate
Right here in Nigeria, we’ve got a handful of top ranking personalities, albeit politicians, who have been engulfed in controversies surrounding thier academic certificates: Salisu Buhari (Toronto); Dino Melaye (Harvard & ABU); Kemi Adeosun (NYSC); Godwin Obaseki (UI), President Muhammadu Buhari (Primary school and Waec), and the ever present and on dragging one of Presidential hopeful, BOLA AHMED TINUBU, who’s academic credentials have been a subject of debate in public discuss up until now, without a resolution.
My point here is, in spite of the controversies surrounding the certificates of all these personalities, it didn’t in anyway invalidated the validity of the institutions’ certificates. Rather, it’s the individual presenting those certificates that have been called into questions.
A large amount of Nigerian students have trooped to Benin Republic to take advantage of the opportunities that abound there to complete their Bsc program in record time, and a section of them have chosen to cut corners and obtain their certificate in dubious manners, bribing thier ways and skipping processes, with the aid of corrupt university officials, but the system have always found a way to separate the wheats from the shafts.
If you are desirous of schooling in Benin Republic, it’s very important you establish the veracity of the university you are applying to, in order to avoid finding yourself in any of those corruption infested universities. The NUC have been on a constant camping against patronizing illegal universities even in Nigeria. The certificates of a fully accredited school is not controversial, but the manner with which an individual obtain his own certificate may lead them straight into very serious controversies. Besides, an individual does not speak or represent the generality of the entire system.
The claim that graduates from Benin Republic find it hard to get jobs in Nigeria or further their studies abroad is largely myopic. For the facts, I know of countless number of students who graduated from Benin Republic, and have been admitted into Nigerian universities for higher degree programs, many more are scattered across the face of the globe working a d studying in other countries of the world with our certificates.
On a daily basis, we respond to mails verifying the credentials of ex students seeking admission in European and American schools. Besides, many of our certificates have successfully passed to country’s and region’s credentials verification systems. As for Nigerian graduates from Benin Republic, an Evaluation letter from the Federal Ministry of Education, handed to every graduate clearly states that the credential is valid for work and further study in Nigeria.
IT’S NOT ACTUALLY CHEAP
In the present economic situation of the world, what use to be actually cheap are in reality no longer as cheap. Economic crisis is not the exclusive of a particular country or region, it’s global. However, the shameful fall in the value of naira have badly skewed things against Nigerians living in other economies. When I arrived in Benin Republic, the exchange rate used to be N1000 to CFA3000, today the reverse is the case. Value however is both intrinsic and extrinsic. Benin Republic is a country where you’re sure to get value for your money, in terms of services and products. You’re sure you’ll get whatever you’re paying for. That’s cheap in all reckoning.
What’s actually not cheap is when you pay for services not rendered, or products not delivered (or rather sub standard). Here, lectures are delivered as and when due, lecturers don’t play god or skip classes, semesters are concluded on time, programs round up in record time, public facilities are always available, students get access to information and support systems within the university ( I speak for my university only). That’s intrinsically valuable.
That’s cheap, when you consider the right factors.Cost of living may be on the high side, just as it is in any part of Africa. I once met two Beninese students retuning from Ghana, where they have also gone to study, and narrating their ordeals in Ghana in terms of the high cost of living there, it’s actually head rolling. But that’s considering the extrinsic value. Education itself, has got both extrinsic and intrinsic value. But I can assure you, every penny spent on education, when properly delivered under, good conditions, is worth the while and cannot or should not be considered expensive.
A caveat to that, is that, while the delivery of education is a guarantee in my University in Benin Republic, it’s equally important for the recipient to accept, and make themselves available to receive it. In the case where students are given to other priorities than their primary target in a foreign school, then schooling in Benin Republic may truly be very expensive.
EDUCATIONAL LOOPHOLES
One man’s meat is another’s poison goes a saying. Francophone West Africa have got completely different educational policies from anglophone West Africa. Benin Republic has got less rigid educational policies than Nigeria. From admission system to running the program and to graduation, their ways of doing things is different from Nigeria.
Private university ownership in Benin Republic is not the same with Nigeria. An individual can own and run a university and approval will be duly granted by relevant government authorities, over time, once such individual have demonstrated capacity and posseses the right facilities prescribed, which are not usually as capital intensive as in Nigeria. Also, private universities here are controlled by association of presidents (proprietors)under the supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education, unlike the Nigerian Universities Commission.
Complete autonomy is given to individual university to admit students that possess minimum requirements, therefore, universities determine whom they admit at all times, something Nigerian Universities have been clamouring for, as against the centralized system in Nigeria, overseen by JAMB.
it’s also very allowable for a university student in Benin Republic to move freely from one university to another, anytime during his or her study, but there are due process to follow in that regard. It is therefore common to see a student begin on one university and finish in another.
Academic records are most definitely transferred and exchanged between universities and most students are oblivious of this fact. That’s why schools charge transfer fees to facilitate the request and transfer of a moving student’s academic records between schools. According to the individual in that malicious write up, fictitious ‘scores are just arbitrarily entered into the books for exams the students are not even in the school for’ is not entirely true because there’s a laid down procedure to exchange Students between schools. University authorities take up the request for the transfer of students records at inter-management level to avoid a student been frustrated or unduly delayed. These are back end processes that are not exposed to students themselves but allowed under the country’s policies.
However, the writer’s experience may have emanated from circumvented process by some manipulative students and officials. That loophole is always a subject of debate in the educational circles and is a completely illegal process. Funny enough, most culprits have been found to be Nigerians (officials and students) bent on bending the rules. There are no loopholes, except the ones created by malicious and corrupt Nigerians.
NONE EXISTENT SOCIAL LIFE
While this is not an academic issue, it’s important address it, and I’ll do that as briefly as possible.
Humans are social beings, students love to socialize and it’s a very integral pert of their education to socialize. Many universities do their best to create avenues for socialization. Therefore it is very common to see social events dotting the sessional calendars.of many schools. Students week, freshers’ day, final year week and convocation/matriculation week are some of the opportunities universities use for students to detach from books and lectures to enjoy and develop their innate abilities through various fun driven extracurricular activities.
It’s not all doom and gloom as painted by the author of that write up. However, socialization levels may differ from one university to another, depending on Management disposition and orientation. Speaking for my University, we are on top of our game and we do our best to create the right balance between academics and socials.
THE BENINESE
As per the hostile disposition of locals towards Nigerians, there are two sides to every coins just as it takes two to tango.
Overtime, Nigerians have drawn attention of the world to Nigerians both positively and negatively. Nigerians are very creative, industrious and intelligent humans, one of the best you can find around. Nigerians have used their abilities to both positive and negative effects, and have thus become the cynosure of all attention wherever they go. In every African countries, Nigerians are seen in the light of always trying to steal the show and this usually irks locals who sees us as rivals they actually can’t and don’t want to compete with.
The write correctly pointed out the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians by South Africans recently, just on the claim that Nigerians have taken all their women. The people of Benin Republic are also caught in this web of intimidation by the presence of Nigerians in their homeland. While a few of them are hostile and reacts harshly towards us, a lot of them are very lovely and accommodating.
The other side of the coin, is the activities of Nigerians themselves within the domains of other people. I need not say much on that. It’s simply a case of attraction – positive attitude attracts positive reactions and vice versa
I sincerely hope that this rejoinder addresses all issues and allays all fears. Studying in Benin Republic is not a mission in futility.. it’s a fruitful experience. Studying in ESFAM BENIN UNIVERSITY is yet a better experience
Adekoya Lawrence Adeola
Deputy Registrar, ESFAM BENIN UNIVERSITY.