Covenant University: A Microcosm Of Nigeria

My alma mater, Covenant University, popularly known as CU or Covenant, as I would often call her in this article, is the leading private university in Nigeria. Having maintained this status for a major part of her existence, she has accomplished feats and risen to heights beyond the wildest dreams of many of her Nigerian counterparts. Amidst all this, within her walls lie some of the most unprecedented realities one would seldom expect. My intent with this article is to highlight the hidden ills of the system, which mirror those of my country Nigeria, all on a microscale. Coming from a born and bred Nigerian who spent four years studying the nooks and crannies of Covenant University’s system while acquiring an undergraduate degree, you can be sure that this article would be enlightening. And no, I was not an undercover journalist.

Studying at Covenant was never my plan. I intended to take a gap year upon graduating from secondary school and follow in the footsteps of my family members who pursued quality education in ‘the abroad’. On this prejudice, I had an idea of what tertiary education looked like in the western world, but I did not know what to expect of the Nigerian University education system. Even though my parents had studied in Nigeria, and told me numerous tales of their experience, I still could not use their yardsticks to form my ideologies, as tens of years had passed between their time and mine. So, before I go any further, I think you should know that everything you read here stems from my views of how standard education should look, which is predominantly informed by western academic culture.

If I were to create a list of problems plaguing Covenant University, just like the Nigerian government and the Nigerian Public Service, transparency and accountability would make it to the top five. It is common knowledge that no leadership or governing body is perfect. Still, although both establishments are under stringent leadership, people in other positions of authority are responsible for their actions and inactions, irrespective of the factors that surround them.

I would admit that the CU system has a semblance of proper institutional structure like Nigeria does. However, both suffer from abuse and underutilization, which can be attributed to bureaucracy and the centralization of authority to the management.

A norm in Nigeria is leaders living far above the reality of the people they serve. If you have been to high-brow areas like Asokoro extension, Katampe extension, Maitama and Guzape Hills in Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja, and you visit IDP camps, settlements or rural communities within the same city, you would understand a bit of this disparity. In many ways, other cities around the nation have similar trends, too. I may not be too far-fetched to say that elements of this exist in Covenant University. From my secondary school days, I remember how our proprietress always had her food cooked separately from what her students ate. Obviously, she got the best there was to offer, and I assume that informed her ideology of the food her students consumed. Just like Nigeria and my secondary school, CU’s leaders are far from the current realities faced by their students. You may argue that they also went through universities in the Nigerian system, but if we compare their times and now, they did not pay as much to get educated, and there were also schools of better quality then.

On the quality of education offered at Covenant, I do not have the range to adequately ascertain whether or not she fits to compare with institutions on a global level. However, I do know that the Nigerian curriculum, which she uses, is overdue for revision and restructuring.

A volatile policy structure is another common ground shared by Covenant University and Nigeria, with poor communication at the apex of it. Communication is as flawed in this system as it is with the Nigerian government: some would even consider the term a myth. In Covenant, rumours are the order of the day, and the institution does little or nothing to quell them. Almost everything is done impromptu, with little or no critical thinking given to it. When it comes to certain things that span a number of days, CU students have since learned to never be among the first, because more often than not, the first are always the unfortunate guinea pigs who take on the full weight of the effects of the management’s disorganization. A perfect example is the first day of the September 2020 resumption incident during the COVID-19 pandemic, of which the news went viral on Twitter and subsequently Instagram.

There is also the issue of not attending to problems in due time. As Charles Iyizoba said, “In Nigeria, we don’t do things right until something nasty happens”, or our Chancellor ‘hopes’ (a little inside joke).

Like Nigeria, CU triggers her students to adjust to the point where they (are likely to) erupt because they can no longer stand the ills of the system. In my opinion, she runs an authoritarian democracy, in which there is a semblance of democratic leadership, with an authoritative figure at the helm of affairs. This structure affects everything and trickles down to the students, who are the worst hit. If you’re Nigerian and live in Nigeria, this should sound familiar. As Chinua Achebe wrote in 1983, “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership”.

It is appalling to see Covenant’s norm of blatant disregard of human rights, including the rights to fair hearing, justice and freedom of expression. These infringements of rights mostly play out in disciplinary issues. There is also the issue of lack of common courtesy to treat people, first as human beings, before anything else, which is synchronous with their use of force and unnecessary coercion, which cannot be ignored.

Just like Nigerian leaders and their citizens, the management of Covenant University does not give her students a listening ear. Both institutions have the structures to do so, but if CU and Nigeria listened, accepted and implemented feedback from their students and citizens, they would be in a much better state than they are today.

Another thing I choose to highlight is Covenant’s monopoly of operations. Many of the external vendors who operate within her space have either had their business stripped away from them or been forced to join CU’s operations for a stipend of what they originally earned. Unfortunately, Covenant University is a money-driven institution (even though she claims not to be), and this wrong focus has negative effects on her system. Dissatisfaction quickly arises when competition reduces. Somehow, this gives me a semblance of the anomalies of The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), who constantly seeks control of every viable stream within its reach.

This brings me to my next point: lack of empathy and compassion. While I agree that nobody builds a school with the intent of having students who are unable to finance their education, this is the reality of a good percentage of CU students, many of whom are on one scholarship or the other. Without delving into the fact that school fees are largely unaccounted for, Covenant University is known for imposing strange additional fees on her students, consistent hikes in school fees and short, inconsiderate payment deadlines.

Speaking on empathy, in line with the fact that mental health is underrated and marginalized in Nigeria, Covenant University is not the exception. There is scarcely a CU student who would tell you that the methods of the institution have not tampered with their mental health at any point during their stay on campus (or even at home). The constant waves of anxiety, trauma, mental strain, stress, exhaustion and PTSD are unparalleled, and for the most part, unnecessary. I know a few people who developed lifelong physical and mental ailments because of the pressure of being in such a highly toxic system. With all due respect, the university management can still achieve her desires without putting her students under duress.

I have always known this but leaving Covenant University made me appreciate how important it is not to glorify suffering. As my people would say, “Sufferhead is not a competition.” Months after exiting the system, the peace I continue to feel is unparalleled, and it will not be too far-fetched to say the same for many other alumni and ex-students.

During the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, on a night of agony and frustration against the Covenant University system, I asked a group of my schoolmates if coming to CU was worth it, and some of the responses I got resonated with my hypothesis at the time: it was not. In hindsight, I am still a bit indecisive about my answer to the question.

It is ironic that people pick all sorts of ill-mannered behaviours and activities on the very land that is home to one of the biggest megachurches on the globe. One would wonder why the students, instead of being indoctrinated with the tenets of the faith, vehemently rebel and pursue worldly passions, even going to the extremes of agnosticism and atheism. I have a few ideas around these issues, but I will save them for some other time, if at all.

Yes, it is indeed true that Covenant University graduates are more preferred in the industry because of the values that were instilled in us while we were on campus. And since we are in a result-oriented dispensation, one might wonder what need there is of this article, seeing that the end appears to justify the means. Like Anthony Azekwoh penned in his memoir, paraphrased, Covenant University students survive, not because of the system but in spite of it.

On this premise, let me mention that CU has a robust alumni network: the Covenant University Alumni Association, or CUALA as she is often called. CUALA is undeniably a hub of excellence, with business, industry and corporate professionals soaring across all sectors, contributing their quota to society, and giving back to the Covenant University community.

It is evil to see good and say otherwise of it, so while I acknowledge and condemn Covenant University’s excesses, I must attribute due honour to her in the areas she thrives. Chief of these is the inculcation and implementation of her University Wide Courses: Total Man Concept (TMC), Diploma in Leadership Development (DLD) and Towards a Total Graduate (TTG), which are peculiar to the ‘Oyedeporian’ education system. Although this does not account for the imperfections in these courses, they are aimed at developing a well-rounded student in the physical, spiritual, mental and social capacities, and they do a fair job at achieving these aims.

The consensus in Nigeria is that students in private universities have it easier than those in public universities. While this is true, to a large extent, because we do not face the absurdities of strikes, purchasing handouts, sorting, irascible sexual harassment, etc. (which are often present on a microscale in private universities), the fact that students of public universities have these struggles, does not invalidate those of students in private universities. One man’s suffering should never be used as a yardstick of measurement for that of another man when both parties can be in better conditions. Like I earlier mentioned, the bar for tertiary education in Nigeria is so low that our ‘best’ is seen as the umpire, and our people are unwilling to see beyond the lines of the system to embrace global educational standards and trends.

Concerning my alma mater’s Vision 10:2022, the vision to become one of the top ten leading universities in the world by the year 2022, I am a believer, and I strongly believe in the power of the word of God and prophecies, so it is not in my place to speak otherwise of it. However, if Covenant University wants to sit on the same seats as the Ivy Leagues, and other reputable institutions, it is only expected that she structures herself in a way that measures up with them.

While I do not dispute or demean the fact that Covenant is currently the best private university existing and operating in the Nigerian educational sector, you will agree with me that the bar is incredibly low, and the metrics for these measurements pale in comparison with her counterparts in other nations. I am a firm believer in all-round excellence, and I strongly follow the mantra that ‘whatever is worth doing is worth doing well.’ Therefore, I cannot entirely agree with the modus operandi in Covenant because I know she can be so much better than she is today. She aspires to be the ‘Harvard of Africa’, and although this is no mean feat, it is 100% achievable if only her management would be willing and ready to embrace change and adapt to it in the right direction.

In conclusion, like Nigeria, Covenant University is a great institution with the right structures in place. However, until their leaders decide to embrace the realities of this present age and deal with the fundamental issues that plague them, Covenant University and Nigeria will keep chasing shadows and achieving baseless feats, especially in the case of the former.