Education

Nigeria only country where ex-presidents own varsities

Published

9 years ago

May 27, 2017

Human rightsHuman rights lawyer Friday took a dig into former presidents owning universities when all their lives they never worked outside of government.

“One was a customs officer, the others were soldiers; their pension cannot establish a primary school, not to talk of a university. For young people, I think there is enough provocation on the part of the ruling class,” he said at the launch of Sahara Reporters Civic Media Lab, Ikeja, Lagos.

According to him, the pension of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is not enough to build a primary school, yet they own universities.

Obasanjo owns the Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun state, while Abubakar is the founder of American University of Nigeria in Yola, Adamawa state.

“These guys have restructured the economy of Nigeria–or you are not aware they restructured the economy of Nigeria to the extent that Nigeria is the only country today where former heads of states openly own universities?” Falana said.

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Citing the emergence of 39-year-old French President Emmanuel Macron as product of organised agitation, the senior lawyer said the Nigerian youth can start the 2019 mobilization now, and demand the qualifications of those who are going to govern the country.

“If we start that campaign now, once these people know you are organized, they can negotiate that you don’t jail them,” he said.

He commended Sahara Reporters and its founder, Omoyele Sowore for the work being done, saying Sowore has “incited us sufficiently to get organized” to demand accountability.