Mr Albert said he became a professor, the highest cadre in the academic world, almost 20 years ago but he still struggles to meet his needs and that of his family.
A Professor of African History, Peace, and Conflict Studies at the University of Ibadan (UI), Oyo State, Isaac Albert, has decried the poor welfare conditions of Nigerian lecturers, saying as a professor of almost 20 years, he is still struggling to meet his basic needs.
Mr Albert, who spoke recently in Lagos at a public lecture in celebration of the 60th birthday of the Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Adelaja Odukoya, said one of Nigeria's greatest impediments to development is the wide disparity between what he described as "the agenda of the Nigerian people and the agenda of the political elite."
He spoke on the topic: "Nigeria's Developmental Challenges: Which Way Forward?"
The scholar said he became a professor, the highest cadre in the academic world, almost 20 years ago but he still struggles to meet his needs and that of his family.
"I became a professor in 2006, all I am looking for is the ability to pay the school fees of my children. That is not an ambitious need," he said.
"Just two months ago, the vice-chancellor helped me to sign my cooperative form. So if a professor of 2006 is still looking for a cooperative to meet basic needs...if my pay for one month cannot take me to a three-day conference in Benin Republic, that's not a country, let's not deceive ourselves," he said.
The guest lecturer noted that the needs of an average Nigerian are "pretty simple and straightforward."
He said Nigerians are worried because they're getting to the point where 'existence is no longer possible', describing the situation as dangerous.
"The future that we need, based on the research I conducted in Ogoni land, is a very simple one. Ogoni people told me that in their communities all they're struggling for is the ability to eat three times a day, and for me, I don't think that's too much."
He said until the continent's leadership is refocused, the challenges posed by underdevelopment will continue to haunt the country.
This is as other participants at the event including the two former ASUU National Presidents- Dipo Fashina and Nasir Fagge; Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Kayode Adebowale; immediate past Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe; Vice-Chancellor of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Razak Kalilu, and the Olokine of Ojowo, in Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State, Abdulrasheed Banjo, among others, extolled the virtue of the celebrator, and commended him for standing for Nigeria at all times.
The UNILAG Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Management Services, Lucian Chukwu, represented the Vice-Chancellor of the host university, Folasade Ogunsola.
Nigeria's undefined partnership needs
Also speaking in his lecture, Mr Albert, who described Nigeria's bilateral relations as non-mutually beneficial, said in various conferences and summits held with other leaders of the world, Nigerian and African leaders usually do not have specific demands from those they're meeting. He said such development is in contrast with other world leaders who always have specific demands in hand when meeting African leaders.
In rare situations where African leaders have demands, it is usually the demands of the political elite which does not necessarily capture the needs of the citizenry, he said.
"The question I ask myself which I also ask at the meeting of the ECOWAS Council of the Wise is; what are you people looking for? This is because I find it difficult to say what they're looking for," he said.
"I saw this when we were having the China-Africa forum in China many years ago in Beijing. The Chinese will tell you this is what we're looking for. African leaders came there but couldn't say what they were looking for from the Chinese. The Chinese are aware of what they're looking for."
He called for the development of an agenda to highlight the benefits Nigeria is looking for in other countries it is dealing with, adding that it is Nigeria's responsibility to map out what it wants to get in its relationship with some of the developed countries including China, Britain, and France.
He said: "These people come here. When they notice that you are not asking for anything, they take all they want to take and leave you with nothing. And I think that is my worry. This could be an academic debate. This is my problem with "Agenda 2063; The Africa We Want."
According to Mr Albert, Nigeria reaches not for the future the people want but for that which the Nigerian leaders prefer.
"I think the best way to gauge that is what politicians promised you when coming to office. I'm sorry to say most of them do not promise anything. So when they come to the office and you say they did not provide this, you are beginning to act like a thief because there was no contract. They did not promise anything," he said.
"If they did not promise any future then you cannot begin to accuse them of not providing any future... When you call attention to anything that is not working well, people say you're being tedious."
The future Nigeria needs
According to Mr Albert, the future Nigeria needs is one with strong state institutions, a ruling class interested in the development of the country, a youth population prepared for the future and a result-oriented international diplomacy.
"We must have an altruistic elite class that is genuinely interested in the development of the country. We must have a productive youth population. A youth population that is deliberately prepared for the future. And then we must have a result-oriented international diplomacy," he said.
The professor expressed worry that the political system has been structured in a way that frustrates those genuinely interested in the development of the country with a huge fund needed to contest elections.
"Now, in Nigeria, we have a number of problems. Elite state capture frustrates consensus building. If you sit with politicians they are not talking about the ordinary person, they're talking about themselves. Societies have been captured," he said.
"The point I am trying to make here is that the system has censored out the best. It's the society that is under state capture. A few people have captured the state and there's nothing we can do."
Others speak
In his contribution at the event, Mr Fagge condemned the country's political structure and lamented the quality of those presenting themselves for elections. He said ASUU, as Nigeria's foremost labour union, is prepared to change the narratives.
"We are tired of complaining about poor governance and as a union, I can assure you that we are ready to rewrite the story. It is high time we prepared men and women for leadership positions and presented them for elections," he said.
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The UNILAG VC, Mrs Ogunsola, described Mr Odukoya as one of the strong pillars of support the institution leans on, saying the man she proudly refers to as "comrade professor" is an asset to the country as a whole and not just the university system.
On his part, the monarch, Oba Banjo sought the support of ASUU and other Nigerians in the quest to provide constitutional roles for traditional rulers in the country's constitution.
The monarch congratulated Mr Odukoya on his diamond jubilee birthday and thanked him for his contributions to the development of the Ojowo community. He announced the approval of the Ojowo Traditional Council to bestow the chieftaincy title of Fimogbuye of Ojowo and Yeye Fimogbuye of Ojowo on Mr Odukoya and his wife at the next Olokine Day in December.
Appreciation
Mr Odukoya, a Professor of Political Science and Lagos Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, who joined UNILAG as an assistant lecturer in 2004, rose to the position of a full professor about three years ago.
He is the Managing Editor, UNILAG Journal of Politics, and ASUU Journal of Social Sciences, and currently serves as the lead researcher on the political economy of agricultural commercialisation in Nigeria, a five-year project sponsored by the Department for International Development (DFID) and the University of London under the Agricultural Policy Research for Africa (APRA).
He thanked everyone for honouring him and for what he described as their continued struggle for the betterment of Nigeria. He expressed his commitment to the progress of Nigeria.
