The Challenge of Academic Freedom in the Nigerian University System

Abstract

This paper takes a cursory look at the extent to which the Nigerian university system has enjoyed academic freedom. It observes that within the framework of the National Policy on Education (2004), universities in Nigeria are expected to enjoy the traditional areas of freedom in the areas of selection of students; appointment of staff; teaching and research and determination of content of courses. The paper however observes that in spite of this commitment, universities in Nigeria have been facing many challenges, which make the achievement of academic freedom very difficult. It notes that universities have been hampered by the activities of some agencies, such as the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), which controls and monitors admission process into the universities and the National Universities Commission (NUC). The paper therefore concludes that for a university to meet the needs of the world around it, its research and teaching must be morally and intellectually independent of all political authority and economic power.

Bureaucratic Executivism and the Erosion of Collegiality in Nigeria’s Nascent Federal Universities: Insights from a Vintage Case

“…Crucial aspects of academic freedom include freedom of/ from (cf. Mama 2006;Arikewuyo 2013): -teaching and discussion; -research and publishing; -institutional or political censorship; -professional association.…”

“…Extant scholarship on the subject of university governance/ autonomy in Nigeria has generally privileged the external dimensions of university autonomy (Jonathan 2006;Ekundayo & Adedokun 2009;Arikewuyo 2013;Olorunsora 2018). In that regard, emphasis is often laid on the relationship between the university administration and the wider society, including the government and industry, as well as donor agencies (Engwall 2007;Mukoro 2013).…”