Government interventions in tertiary education in Nigeria: Bad news all the way?

Abstract

This paper addresses the issue of government interventions in
tertiary education in Nigeria. In spite of strong empirical evidence
that government interventions in education are indispensable for
development, there are clear indications that governments at
different levels in Nigeria have continued to pay lip service to
desperately-needed interventions at all levels of education,
especially at tertiary level. One recurring ugly consequence of
inadequate government intervention in tertiary education can be
seen in the incessant strikes by the various unions in governmentowned
tertiary institutions across the nation. Academic Staff Union
of Universities (ASUU), Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics
(ASUP) and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union
(COEASU), as well as their non-teaching counterparts, have
continued to agitate for better government funding in their
institutions for improved provision of facilities for their students and
better conditions of service for themselves. The dramatic changes in
the physical environment and performance of government-owned
educational institutions in Anambra State during the Peter Obi
Administration are notable examples of the effect which effective
government intervention can have on the education sector. The
paper concludes that as long as education in Nigeria does not
receive the financial attention it deserves from government,
development continue to elude the nation. Thus there is urgent need
for adequate and proper government funding of tertiary education in
Nigeria.