There Is Something Wrong With My UNILAG Undergrad Education

I am convinced there is something wrong with my UNILAG undergraduate education.

The very first time I felt this way was in my second year at the Lagos Business School, pursuing my MBA. I was walking down the staircase, and I noticed one of the steps was chipped at a corner. I took little notice of the chip and kept on walking.

The very next day, I was walking on that same staircase and to my utter amazement, I noticed the step with the chipped edge had been replaced!!!

What?? Replaced?? Under 24hours?? In this country?? Impossible!

To understand my bewilderment and perhaps create some perspective, I was coming from an undergraduate background where an entire hall of residence will collapse under disrepair and mismanagement, with not even a wink from the authorities. Hell... I was coming from a country where the roads would be totally impassable, riddled with crater-sized potholes; with goverment officials passing by on a daily basis in air-conditioned SUVs, and with no thought to its maintenance. (Lagos State, for the record seem to be an exception, as potholes are swifly covered up in most instances, but this is an exception, rather than the rule)

So, you see, the chip in the step was not the issue. I expected the chip. What I didn't expect, was the swift corrective action. And herein lay the problem: I had come to expect this mismanagement as the norm. Shocking, and sad, but true.

This is the first issue with my undergrad education.

The second issue is more critical and saddening. I found, by a series of close observation and back-of-the-envelope research, that graduates of some private universities, most especially those of Covenant and Babcock universities were doing far better than graduates of my alma mata in terms of leadership, entrepreneurship, and even governance. I took multiple samples of youths in different sectors: government, education, business, entertainment, PR, agriculture, New Media, etc and a good number (if not most) of the youths leading these sectors (of the sample space) were graduates of these aforementioned private universities!

What are they teaching them there, biko??

No, really, someone should tell me. I'm pretty certain the curriculum is pretty similar, so there has to be something extra-curricular that instills in these graduates the knowledge, the skills, and the grit to be successful leaders and entrepreneurs.

Don't get me wrong...graduates of UNILAG exist that are successful and are leaders in their own chosen fields, no doubt! (Heck! I'm one of them!) But I'm talking numbers here. For every 1 UNILAG graduate leading in one field, say Entertainment, there are, perhaps 2 to 3 to 4 graduates of Covenant or Babcock (this is loosely speaking, but please challenge me here if you have contrary figures). They have to be doing something right. The question is: what?

And sadly, I do not know. I wish I could claim on this piece that I had found the answers; and all UNILAG authorities need do is 1, 2, and 3; and then voila...our graduates would be running for President. LOL! I wish. But I don't have the answers.

But dear UNILAG school authorities, (if you ever get to read this), I know where we can start:

First, we need to acknowledge that the quality of the undergraduate we churn out could be greatly improved. Then we need to vastly and quickly improve the school's infrastructure. Give the students a wholesome sense of belonging! Third, infrastructural maintenance should be top priority for every Department and Faculty. Every chip in the stairs need to be repaired pronto!

Finally, we need to pay these two universities a visit, and perhaps do a small study, to find out why their graduates turn out as they do. Forget the comic nature of this post - this is serious business! Research is the lifeblood of any university, so this final idea should be an executional walk in the park.

Now, this writeup is in no way designed to cast aspersions on The University of First Choice, and The Nation's Pride. Far from it. I've said it before, and i'll say it again: every Nigerian student consciously, subconsciously, or unconsciously, wants/wanted/would love to be a student of  the University of Lagos. This is Fact. Ask your Mummy. Numerous conditions make them choose other universities. LOL! To yourself be true.

Truth is, I'm proud of my Alma Mater. I met great people there and did wonderful things. This is simply a clarion call to make the school much, much better. (Case in point, UNILAG just recently produced the first ever perfect CGPA graduate this year. Beat that Covenant University!)

Now, if you have any insight into my conundrum above, please comment. Share your knowledge/guesses/theories, whatever. Let's talk about it, please. And find a way out.

#nuffsaid

Follow me on twitter: @olatunbode.