Footballers, Corps Members, and Academics: Who Deserves More?

By Auwal Ahmed Ibrahim, Goronyo

Sometimes, things happen in Nigeria like in a dream because everything in a dream is right without consciousness of priority and law of orders. For many times I had been asking myself, why in Nigeria we have less concern for the teachers, the givers of knowledge and the ladder for successes? When it comes to salary, teachers get peanuts, when it comes to the award of national honor lecturers and teachers are not considered. We are always outside of the door. So, in Nigeria teachers are not parts of the country’s development? Nor in any part we are the building blocks of this great nation or the bricklayers of the strong walls of Nigeria? When there are many teachers and lectures who stood to their profession of imparting knowledge amidst terrorism and kidnapping. The records are there where teachers were kidnapped in classes or killed on their way to schools to teach.

In the last national awards given to Nigerian citizens who the nation recognized their giant contributions and efforts in development of Nigeria, teachers were missed in the list. Only top individuals who have gained high recognition in their roles of administration and politics made the list. What about the common teachers in our primary and secondary schools? What about the selfless efforts of our lecturers in the polytechnics and the universities in engineering this nation to a developing nation? But we have not been remembered!

The recent lavish award given to Falcons Footballers has generated a debate of international concern and the presidency must accept its mistake for what it has done. Just, less than ten days retired police officers staged a national protest for their benefits and yet they are still in bondage, because they were only comforted with pleas with the words of mouth. We are not saying what was done to the Falcons players and the team was bad but things should always be done in order without bias and misplaced priority.

The President conferred national honours on all the 24 players and the 11-member technical team of Nigeria’s senior women’s national football team, awarded each player and technical crew member the title of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), allocation of one three-bedroom apartment to each player and technical crew member in the government’s Renewed Hope Housing Scheme. The President approved a cash award of the naira equivalent of $100,000 to each of the 24 players, and $50,000 equivalent to each technical team member with additional ₦10 million to each of the players and technical team members on behalf of the 36 state governors following their historic victory at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.

Lecturers in the polytechnics and the universities have taken a deadline stage of three days after every month to withdraw academic activities until they are paid their salary. This is the only measurement for the government to know that the salary of the staff of polytechnics and universities cannot fend their families and cater for the children to the end of the month. Yes, it is not fictitious that the salary of workers does nothing for them. Almost all salary earners in Nigeria live on debt, begging or other sources of income. The only thing that remains for us is to see Nigerian tertiary staff doing is begging on the streets.

Upon all the patience, contributions in national development, economic promotion and guiding principles of our teeming youths to the best path of Nigerian growth, Nigerian academics get less from the government. Every year corps members are celebrated while the people that made them are neglected and sometimes being abandoned. Professors sell vegetables to survive, many rely on taxi driving, okada and teaching in other tertiary institutions or private secondary schools to survive.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has lavishly splashed awards and money to corps members of the NYSC. While, the staff in the tertiary institutions were given a loan program when they have millions of outstanding debt, stagnation in promotion and demands for their welfare. To ask, which one comes first your entitlements or loan? The President selected 200 corps members from 2020 – 2023 batches for immediate employment into the federal civil service. Each of the honourees for N250,000 in recognition of their national service.

It is evidently factual that in Kaduna state polytechnic lecturers earn less than corps members, while in Sokoto, Jigawa, and other states lecturers are not promoted in their career of service. Then, how do we think they would do their work with justice, equity, and shun corruption like our politicians in the National Assembly?

The Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA) and the Nigeria Polytechnic Games Association, NIPOGA, never get the attention of the Minister of Education nor the Minister of Sports and Youths for awards than to seek the privilege of the presidency.

Apart from these games, The All-Africa University Games is a regional multi-sport event representing Africa, organized for university athletes by the Federation of Africa University Sports (FASU), but how much do we get to know about this game? There is no rush to this game because there is no incentive to attach to it, and only a few universities can afford the task.

Go to many universities and polytechnics; their sports facilities are in wreckage, and you will hardly identify the sport director for his body size and immaculate because the sport is not attractive.

The World School Sport Games is an international multi-sport event which is organized by the International School Sport Federation (ISF). It is the largest event among many other sport events held by the ISF. Only in 2024 Nigeria took part in the event, sending a seven-man contingent to represent Nigeria at its maiden appearance.

As the government is determined to pay for good service from what we have seen, academics in Nigeria await a good change and recognition for their selfless services in their quest of building a prosperous nation for everybody without bias.

Auwal Ahmed Ibrahim, Goronyo is an academic staff of Kaduna Polytechnic, writes via auwalgoronyo@gmail.com