By Dele Sobowale

Permit me to bring forward the chart published when the first part of this article was published. It summarises most of the problems associated with scarcity of teaching staff in Nigerian universities. The Federal government had taken the lead, as it should, in establishing universities over the years. President Jonathan alone added the following since 2011:

1.    Federal University, Gashua.

2.    Federal  University, Dutsin Ma, Katsina State

3.    Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State

4.    Federal University, Lafia, Nassarawa State

5.    Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State

6.    Federal University, Ndulu-Alike, Ebonyi State

7.    Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State

8.    Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State

9.    Federal University, Wukari, Taraba State

10.    Federal University, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State

11.    Federal University, Gusau, Zamfara State

The President also approved the upgrading of the Police Academy at Wudil to degree awarding status. All of these universities are headed by Vice Chancellors poached from other universities already suffering from shortage of lecturers and experienced university administrators. The University of Ibadan remains not only the oldest university in Nigeria, but it has been the worst victim of head hunters who need professors to head their institutions. Like the rich man in a large family of the destitute, U.I is being bled to death; so are the first generation universities nationwide.

In addition to the demand for experienced lecturers by the new from the old public universities, the private universities are also head hunting – virtually all the time.  Private universities have been assisted by the mandatory retirement age imposed on public university lecturers. No sooner do they depart from U.I or UNN or Ahmadu Bello than they re-surface elsewhere as Head of Department. Very soon, we should be able to get a grip on the number of lecturers who, after retirement from public universities end up in private universities – still able to carry out their functions with greater exposure in their disciplines.

HOW AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN NIGERIA SOLVED THE PROBLEM

One university had solved the problem of staff scarcity in a unique way. AUN, which is far ahead of any other university in Nigeria, has faculty drawn from twenty-three (23) countries; they come from all the continents and together they are creating a truly global university. So, while, AUN also recruits lecturers from Nigeria, it casts its net all over the globe. To the best of my knowledge, no other university can boast of such a wide spectrum of lecturers from different countries.

E-teaching has become a veritable tool for making up the shortfall in teaching staff by various universities. At the moment students at the American University in Nigeria, receive lectures from teachers all over the world without leaving Yola. How, this is done will be described more fully later in this series.