STORIES FROM MY PAST – Leadership lessons from a management guru

Still on leadership lessons from the management guru, I will tell you about the ‘motion of motions’ today. The motion of motions is the story of how the management guru moved the motion that moved UNIZIK from a non-residential tertiary institution (can you imagine that?) to a residential university. First, I will provide a bit of a background.

The powers that be in this country wanted to name the University of Nigeria Nsukka after Nigeria’s first president, the Zik of Africa, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. You would expect Zik to be excited, but he saw through the trick, which was to take the name ‘University of Nigeria’ away from his base and take it to the new university that was to be established in Abuja. So, Zik turned down the offer and told the Government that the best way to honour him was to allow the University of Nigeria Nsukka to be. But he also came up with the suggestion that the Federal Government could take over the then Anambra State University and name it after him. And that was how the ‘Maradona’ of Nigeria’s politics, President Ibrahim Babaginda, was made to make Anambra State University a federal tertiary institution.

The story did not end there. Babangida took over Anambra State University on the condition that the university would be non-residential, that is, there would not be hostels or living quarters for lecturers, only classrooms. That was unprecedented in the history of the university system anywhere in the world. But the great Zik and other leaders of thought in the old Anambra State accepted that. And so, the University of Nigeria Nsukka remained the University of Nigeria Nsukka and continued its dream of redeeming the dignity of man. And also, Anambra State University became Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, a non-residential university.

And so, the University of Nigeria Nsukka remained the University of Nigeria Nsukka and continued its dream of redeeming the dignity of man.

The university lived with the toga of ‘non-residentialism’ until the management guru became the Vice-Chancellor. Indeed, in his maiden address to the university community shortly after his appointment, which was witnessed live by yours truly, the Professor asked the rhetorical question – how long should we wait before our university starts having high-rise building?. But the reality was that nothing could be done if the status-quo of non-residential status stood. So, the deft tactician moved. The day was Thursday 27 August 1998. The venue was the old Council Chambers and the event was the meeting of the Governing Council of UNIZIK. On that day, Prof. Ejiofor moved the ‘motion of motions’ calling for a change of the non-residential status of UNIZIK. And he outlined nine (9) reasons why the change must happen:

1. Inhuman accommodation condition with six students sharing one small room and each losing his/her privacy, decency and personal freedom even when so much money was spent on accommodation instead of books;
2. Lack of a university environment, which makes it impossible for the university to pass through the students as they pass through the university because man is a product of his environment;
3. Disincentive to donors who run away on discovering that the university is non-residential;
4. Explosive transportation problem leading to a mad scramble for bus space, exorbitant fares and spending of the university’s scarce resources on acquiring and maintaining buses as well as posting security men and erecting barricades to minimise violent struggles;
5. The peculiarity of non-residentialism to UNIZIK as it was the only university, polytechnic or college of education that is non-residential in Nigeria;
6. No legal backing for non-residentailism as no law whether the Anambra State edict of 1991 or the Federal Government decree of take over ever prescribed, stated, implied, suggested or mooted a non-residential status for the university;
7. Mono-ethnic university as people attracted to the university by its name quickly ran away upon  learning about inadequate accommodation thereby leaving the institution for only students and staff of one ethnic group;
8. Woeful performance in sports due to difficulty in mobilising students for training and
9. The stature of the patron, Zik, was not being helped by non-residential status as universities named after his compatriots in other parts of Nigeria are residential with monuments befitting of the greatness of their patrons

10. The stature of the patron, Zik, was not being helped by non-residential status as universities named after his compatriots in other parts of Nigeria are residential with monuments befitting of the greatness of their patrons.

Based on the above, the Vice-Chancellor then proposed and moved that the Governing Council of UNIZIK should unanimously resolve to:

1. Appeal to the respected Visitor of the university to make Nnamdi Azikiwe University a residential university with immediate effect;
2. Mandate the Chairman of the Council, the Vice-Chancellor and any other member of the Governing Council to present this resolution to the Honourable Minister of Education and the National Universities Commission for onward transmission to the Visitor; and
3. Urge all other members of the Governing Council to use their best endeavours to give effect to this resolution.

The motion was unanimously carried.

The editor is beginning to warn me not to go beyond the space allocated to me; so, I will stop here for now. Next month, I will tell you the outcome of the adoption of the motion of motions by the Governing Council of UNIZIK. Until then, keep keeping on.

I am off.