In the face of incessant strikes rocking the tertiary academic sector over the years, Abba Michael, the head of the Institute of Commercial Management United Kingdom (ICM-UK) in Nigeria believes that online education is way forward.
The university-don called on Tunji Alausa, the new education minister to encourage online programmes in Nigerian universities as a panacea to curbing industrial actions on campuses.
“I have some advice for the minister, if online programme is being pushed and encouraged in the country, we will not have strikes again on our campuses.
“I believe in the capabilities of the new minister that he will put measures on the ground to encourage and build the status of education in Nigeria by encouraging online programmes,” he said.
Michael reiterated that the incessant strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other related associations within the higher education cadre would be a thing of the past if an effective online system of education is in place.
“We will not experience ASUU, NASU, and SSANU, among other strikes because lecturers will be able to teach and earn incomes from many different universities from the comfort of their homes.
“If I’m lecturing in like say 20 universities, I don’t need to go on strike. I will be making money from the various institutions, and so if one centre or university fails to pay at any point in time, another would be able to pay,” he noted.
Many Nigerians are worried about the negative effects of strikes on academic and non-academic staff of universities on students.
Stakeholders maintain that persistent strikes in Nigeria’s public universities are having negative impacts on students’ academic progress, which according to them lead to missed curriculum content and forgotten knowledge.
Christopher Nmeribe, a parent and educationist said that these strikes often result in disruption of the academic calendar, especially the postponement of scheduled examinations and other activities.
“As a result of the chaotic higher education system in Nigeria which is worsened by the incessant strikes, many students are seen roaming the street or engaging in dirty jobs such as cyber fraud, robbery, and kidnapping for ransom, as only a few of these students can engage in a menial or laborious job in order to keep body and soul together,” he said.
Recently, the Times Higher Education World University Ranking was out, and none of the country’s universities could rank in the first 300 universities in the world.
Similarly, in the latest Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings 2025 featuring over 1,500 institutions across 105 higher education systems, Nigeria is not in the world’s best 1000 universities despite the federal government’s claim of prioritising education.
To curb this abnormality, Michael urges the new education minister to promote online programmes in the universities because according to him, it will give the lecturers room to work in different universities at the same time having multiple sources of income that will make it difficult for them to consider strike as an option.
To further buttress this point, experts disclosed that every year, more than half of Nigeria’s 1.5 million UTME candidates fail to gain admission into local universities and other institutions of learning.
As a result of being underfunded, the Nigeria’s public university system can only cater for around 40 percent of the UTME candidates almost on yearly basis, research has shown.
As if to worsen this predicament, Nigeria’s National University Commission mandated that online degrees from foreign universities are “unacceptable” in the country.
The commission’s policy means employers and universities are not obliged to recognise these degrees as qualifications for applicants seeking jobs or for further education.
Getting online degrees from local universities is not much of an option for students either, as very few public universities have approved online degree programmes in Nigeria.
Besides curbing strikes on campuses, it is expedient that the new minister of education understands that online education would among others enable students to be employed while schooling thereby reducing the unemployment rate.
“We don’t have many job opportunity in Nigeria anymore; graduates are moving to the street without jobs out there.
“Meanwhile, organisations want graduates to have many years of job experience before being employed. And you can never have an experience in the conventional schools,” Michael said.
Online education if encouraged by the minister can help address Nigeria’s unemployment crisis by improving skills and qualifications, which can lead to new jobs and economic growth.
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