Prof Fabian Osuji @ 80
A Colossus Looks Back in Time, Says…
For a highly accomplished octogenarian and public personality, Professor Fabian Osuji’s somewhat withdrawn nature belies the typical Nigerian penchant for swashbuckling and showmanship. His modestly furnished house in the Gwarimpa area of Abuja (not highbrow Asokoro or Maitama) and the venue of the reception for his 80th birthday celebration further confirm his predilection for the ascetic life, far away from the exhibitionist culture that has gripped the nation.
Professor Osuji is a man of many parts: accomplished academic, university administrator (one-time deputy vice-chancellor of Imo State University, former Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN), former commissioner for information in Imo State, former minister of education in the Obasanjo Administration and many other strategic appointments.
Last week, just before the birthday celebration, Professor Osuji granted the True Vision team audience in his Gwarimpa residence. Throughout the interview, Osuji who was born on 20th January 19442, would rather pride himself as a dedicated scholar, academic and administrator who would want his impact on his environment measured more by sublime contributions to scholarship and good governance, than by unnecessary activism and materialism. He pointedly deprecated the posture of the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) in the ongoing face-off with the Federal Government, placed greater premium on quality leadership than zoning of political offices, rebuffed son-of-the-soil criterion for appointment of vice chancellors and extolled the impact of Catholic exposure on his upbringing.
Blessed with five children for whom he is very proud, Osuji, a quintessential family man never failed to recall the sacrifice made by his mother-in-law, who graciously did more than just baby-sitting, as both himself and his wife, Philomena, painstakingly combined making babies with education, in the early years of their marriage.
This interview is vintage Fabian Osuji: blunt, brutal, balanced. Enjoy your read.
How do you feel about attaining the age of 80?
I feel normal. I feel healthy. I feel clean and I am grateful to God because I have done nothing special to look different or healthy from other people. It is just the grace of God that has kept me to come this far in life. So, I feel well and happy.
Give us an insight into your daily routine
I do not have a routine anymore since I retired from active work. I have been a secondary school teacher, a university lecturer, a university Dean Science, Deputy Vice Chancellor, then Minister of Education. What I am saying is that there was a time that I used to have a regulated life. I used to wake early, take a good breakfast and get out for work, come back for lunch (if necessary) and do something else in the afternoon. For instance, as a lecturer, I used to run practical’s after lectures in the morning hours. So, there was a regulated life that was clearly planned. As a dean there was a lot of administrative work to be done, like meetings. I was a member of Council. Then I was a deputy vice chancellor and that means that there was a programmed life. I was also a commissioner in Imo State, I was also a Pro Chancellor and Chairman of Council, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Again, that was regulated life too. I chaired meetings maybe, once or twice a month. As a minister, I would leave the house early properly dressed and have interviews and meetings. What I am talking about is the regulated life that I used to have. But now, I take life very easy, I wake up late and eat a late breakfast between 9am and 11am. I do not take another meal till late afternoon or evening. So, I eat two meals a day. When I finish my second meal of the day, I go to IBB Golf Club where I mix and chat with friends. I used to play active golf until I had some back surgery. Even though my son who is an orthopedic surgeon who arranged the surgery said that I could still play but I do not play golf anymore. Out of the abundance of caution, I take life easy.
Any change in diet over the years?
I do not have any control over my diet. It is my wife that oversees my diet, and she has a kind of timetable for what I eat and when I should eat. But like I said, I eat only twice every day. I have breakfast and another meal later in the evening not in the night mind you. With that, I am done for the day. I take very light carbohydrates because, at one stage in my life, I was diagnosed with the tendency towards diabetes but that was also controlled very well. I was in the United States then and I was given a schedule of what I should eat and what I should not eat. I was asked to stay away from starch, for instance. The next time that I was in the US, I was tested for diabetes, and I was free but I have consistently followed the diet. I do not take sugar or starchy food. I do not eat much red meat, I eat more chicken and fish.
Do you protest when certain meals are served?
Not really because my wife has taken control of my diet. She has a regulated schedule of what I eat. The cook prepares the meal but she supervises the process from time to time. So, I do not need to complain about my feeding.
At 80, you still look fit and trim, what is the secret?
Someone has told me that before. Even if I have a mirror, I really do not know how I look. Well, I thank God for His Mercies. But I see it as a gift from God and no one has control over that.
What can you consider as memorable milestones in your life?
I can go right back to my early days as a child. I grew up and went to primary school at home in my village. Primary, in our days, was Infant 1 and 2; then Standard One to Six. I did all that at home except for Standard Six which my uncle, late Albert Osuji, who was a Headmaster at St Joseph’s, Mgbidi, insisted that I will live with him to direct me how and what entrance examinations to sit for. I lived with him and took two entrance examinations, one for Holy Ghost College Owerri and the other for Government College Umuahia. I passed both but the Parish priest refused to endorse my result for Government College, Umuahia because he felt that “they do not know God” there so I went to Holy Ghost College Owerri. In standard Six, something remarkable happened because I was at Mgbidi. In December of 1955, my father rode his bicycle from Mbaise to Mgbidi to bring me the form for the competitive scholarship examination by Mbaise County Council. I filled the forms and later went for the exams on the appointed day. The interesting thing about the exam is that we all had to sit there and wait for the results to be announced. Rev Fr Curteley who was the principal of Mbaise Secondary school then was in charge of the examinations with the headmasters and other school teachers. There were five scholarships for each of the clans that made up Mbaise. There is Aboh Mbaise, Ahiazu Mbaise, Ezinihite Mbaise and Okouvuru Mbaise. The results were tabulated according to the clans. Agbaja which was my clan was the first to be announced. I took the first position, and it went like wildfire. The result went before me that everyone was saying that Fabian, the son of John Osuji, came first. So, the news got to my family even before I arrived home. That was a high point of my primary school. After my primary school, I went to Holy Ghost College, Owerri. It was a glorious period for me. Looking back, I was the youngest in the class. I maintained first position from class one to class five. I remember the first examination I took at Holy Ghost College, which was the first term examination, I recorded 100 per cent in many subjects including Latin and mathematics. It was a good time for me as I was given good grounding that enabled me to become what I turned out to be.
If I may take you back, you said your father rode his bicycle to Mgbidi, was it from Mbaise?
Yes, my father rode the bicycle from my village in Umuda. I can say that it was very instructive in the sense that it shows what parents can do for their children and reflects the level of safety that was obtainable then. People could ride on their bicycles from my village to Mgbidi along Owerri-Onitsha Road which is now many local governments away. I forgot to add that when I was in primary school, I had my first Communion at the age of seven and that was the earliest then. I was confirmed in the Catholic Church the following year at the age of Eight by Bishop Shanahan. I still remember those years and it was in 1948 for my first communion and 1949 for my Confirmation. My uncle was teaching Standard Six class at St Bridget Ahiara. Though I was not of school age, I was going to school with him. I remember one of the pupils then, teasing me that I was the Assistant class teacher. I was going to class with him, but I was not eligible to be in school yet.
Can we have an insight into how the Catholic Church influenced you
Indeed, the Catholic Church did influence my upbringing. The schools were run and managed by the Missions. Where I did my Infant classes were at St Theresa, a school very close to my house in the village. It was there also that I did my Communion and Confirmation classes. From there, I moved to St Charles Nguru, which was a Central School and one of the most famous primary schools during our time. It was at St Charles that I did other classes up to class five, before I went to St Joseph, Mgbidi for my Standard Six. Yes, the Catholic Church did influence my upbringing because most of the things were done the Catholic way. And going to Holy Ghost College, Owerri, that also influenced my life. In class five, the principal then sponsored me, and one other student called Ukanwa to Government College, Umuahia for Higher School Certificate (HSC). HSC was something new at that time and we went to Umuahia and enrolled for HSC in Science. By the time we were through for the two-year programme at Umuahia, we returned to Holy Ghost College to teach science. Interestingly, when we returned, my teachers who taught me abandoned those school certificate classes to teach Biology and Chemistry… Again, interestingly, in 1963 and 1964 no student failed those two subjects during the two-year period that I handled the two subjects. After two years, I left for the University of Ibadan and every long vacation, I would return to teach at the Holy Ghost College. The teachers would leave some topics for me to handle whenever I am back. We had very dedicated teachers at the time, but they were not as prepared as we were very much later. In 1966, I returned from Ibadan because of the national crisis; the Igbos were targeted by the military. The experience then was so sober that we swore never to return to Ibadan. Instead, we all returned to Nsukka. So, my first degree was taken at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka instead of Ibadan. But that was a very special concession they gave to those of us returning from Ibadan because Ibadan was running a different system from Nsukka. Nsukka was running the American system while Ibadan was running the British system. We did three courses in the first year, two courses in second year and one course in your final year. At Ibadan I wanted to read either Zoology or Chemistry, but when we came to Nsukka, it became a big tussle and some of the lecturers from the grapevine found out who are the bright ones coming from Ibadan and wanted to capture them. So, there was a big contest at UNN whether the chemistry or the Zoology departments should have me. I decided on my own to go to Zoology because there were people who attracted me there. The people that attracted me to Zoology were Professor Anya O Anya, a young lecturer from Cambridge who had his first degree at Ibadan and Professor Awachie who was also a young lecturer who had his first degree at Ibadan and PhD at Liverpool. Those were two bright and attractive people in Zoology, and they made up their mind that they should have me in their department. And I am happy that it turned out well. I could not attend the convocation because that was the day the war started. On that day, June 6, 1967, the first shell landed at Obollo Afor. By that time, I was already back teaching at Holy Ghost College. As you can find out, my greatest joy was in teaching what I knew. I enjoyed teaching and was always ready to teach. Most of the people who will be coming for my birthday celebration were people whom I taught at the Holy Ghost College.
Given your experience in the university system, what do you think is responsible for the incessant strikes by university lecturers?
I do not think that it is only the universities that have gone down. The whole nation has dived down, and we are very low in all ramifications. But the universities themselves are also down. If the universities were what they used to be, I do not think that the country would be what it is right now. In my days, not just as a student but also as a lecturer at Ibadan, Nigerian undergraduates would not have tolerated what is happening today. They would have gone out on the streets and would have pulled down the present government. They would not have waited for anybody to do it; they would have had a voice that would be heard. What I am saying is that the decline is total and not only in the university system. However, I also think that it is the failure of leadership across all levels. As a minister, I had several meetings with ASUU (Academic Staff Union of Universities) and it was part of my overall determination that there would be no industrial action by university lecturers when I was a minister and there was none. I told ASUU leaders that they are not the owners of universities but critical stakeholders. I told them that it is Nigerians that own the universities and that you do not shut down the universities whenever you like and that doing that would be a very big disservice to the nation. However, I told them that ASUU could insist on certain things and that political leadership owed them a duty to give them what they wanted. So, I was ready to negotiate with ASUU everyday. I held meetings with the leadership almost every other week to make sure that their demands were met. During my time, the needs of the institutions were met and therefore the universities remained open. But it is important to state that universities have needs that must be met by the government because they are government-owned institutions. After all, private universities do not embark on strike because private university owners do what they are expected to do. And that is the crux of the matter.
What is your take on the demands of the lecturers including autonomy? Do you think that university autonomy is attainable?
I do not think that the issue of autonomy is part of the problem now. Most of the demands of ASUU revolve around funding and not autonomy. Autonomy for what? Autonomy is their freedom to do as they want within the institutions. Gone are the days when the government used to appoint Vice Chancellors. What is autonomy again? Government does not interfere in university administration anymore. What is in contention is the funding of the universities. Infrastructure is decayed and so much is lacking, and the government is not doing much about it. Another issue is that of the TSA that their salaries should not be paid through the same way as that of the civil servants. But that is not even the issue. The real issue is the quantum of money given to the universities. Funding is the issue rather than who controls what. Like I said, the private universities do not go on strike because they usually get what they want or what the owners of the private universities want to give them.
What could be done to avert this incessant strike action by university lecturers?
I have told you what I did when I was the minister of education, and I did avert the crisis and strikes in the university system then. Part of it was to put the university lecturers on their toes and tell them that “the universities do not belong to you, you have a duty to do, do it”. On our side, we tried to provide all the needed requirements including funding to stay at work. But let me tell you, as the Pro Chancellor of UNN, that many young lecturers do not have any ambition of going higher or doing better for themselves. Their ambition is to rise in ASUU and become the President or Chairman. ASUU leaders have a lot of respect. Most of them are not interested in research or being promoted. Many of them were like that. As we speak, many of them have the sole ambition of becoming ASUU leader rather than being a professor.
Why do you think most of these lecturers are keener on going into union politics?
I think it is the money that comes with it. Money from the government and money from their check-off dues. And many of the young people are attracted to that rather than serious academic and research work. Again, ASUU leaders have a lot of influence. They are more attracted by the pecuniary consideration and interests rather than serious academic work.
Research seems to be dead in Nigerian universities. What is your take on this?
Research is a function of funding. At Ibadan, where I spent most of my time and even when I moved to Imo State University, there used to be a Senate Research Grant for lecturers of various categories, to enable them carry out research in various areas. These grants were disbursed by the Senate Research Grant Committee. The money was made available in bulk and approved by the Senate. You will get your research grant if you have a research proposal that is approved by the committee. I received research grants at various points as a lecturer, results of which were published in international journals. The truth today is that I do not know how many people that are still interested in research and research grants. There are also grants from outside. If your research is good enough, you can attract international grants from outside and I did attract grants from outside when I was at Ibadan. My PhD work was funded by the Tropical Products Institute, London. The institute provided all the money and sent me the equipment that I needed for the research work. That research work was later broadcast by the BBC. After my PhD work, I was at Imperial College London for my postdoctoral research from the Commonwealth. These are all external grants not controlled by the university or federal government. You must attract it by yourself, by the recognition of your work. And that is not happening now. Many lecturers are not known outside the institutions where they teach. When I was at Ibadan, I had so many international research grants. I had one from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) based in Vienna, Austria. The grant took me to five countries. From Nigeria, I went to Ghana, Holland, Austria, Germany and India. Maybe just a few Nigerian scholars are doing international research. Those who are engaged in international research are not ASUU people. There is a whole lot of remedial work to be done with our universities as far as I am concerned.
In other words, there seems to be a displacement of goals.
Yes, I think that is the case. The point I am making is that our universities have stopped being center’s of knowledge and academic work and have stopped being center’s of learning and research.
What about the Infrastructure decay?
I am also saying that infrastructure is based on research grants. For instance, the equipment I used for my Ph.D. work came from London. We are laying so much on the government. Even the University of Ibadan was not involved in the things I got. It is a question of what work you are doing. You publish it and the world hears it, and they will support you. … Infrastructure is a different thing and is a problem Nigeria has all over the place. Based on that, everybody can say no work because there is no infrastructure.
Shouldn’t ASUU change its strategy and put an end to this resort to strike action?
Unfortunately, universities have grown so large that you do not even know where to start. What I am saying is that when the universities were relevant and were useful, individuals carved their own niche. You attract international recognition to yourself and to your department. …Funds for research do not come from the government. University lecturers are not looking the correct way for funds. Research is self-sustaining. There is a lot of money out there in the international arena for serious minded lecturers to access. The International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA and the Royal Society of London have a lot of money to give. First and foremost, when you publish your work in international journals, it is there for the whole world to read. People will write to you requesting copies of your work. That was how I got my first Sabbatical in Kansas State University. Professor Bob Mills asked me for my paper, and I sent him a copy of my research. After reading it, he asked me if I could spend some time in their Laboratory in Kansas State University. All I did was to apply because I had spent about three years in the university and can therefore apply for study leave. That was how I applied and spent about six months in that American university.
The Son-of-the-Soil concept in the appointment of Vice Chancellors in Nigerian universities
I recently saw the one from Ibadan. The people of Ibadan wanted one of their own to be appointed as Vice Chancellor. When I was a student at Ibadan, I did not have a classmate from Ibadan. Even as a Lecturer, I did not know any lecturer from Ibadan. Suddenly, we have turned everything into a village affair… The point is that we have so localized things. Knowledge is universal and you cannot restrict it to a place. It explodes by itself.
Would the situation not be attributed to the politicization of university administration?
It is very unfortunate as everything in Nigeria has been politicized. And politicians are now in charge of everything including intellect. The politicians are now who determines who gets what intellectually. Even when most of them have not gone to school.
Your take on the disconnect between the academia and industry
The point is that good work cannot be hidden. When you are doing something that the industry regards as relevant, they will even come for you. There used to be a time when many university lecturers were being invited by companies like Lever Brothers, UAC and others to do certain things for them and they were well paid for such jobs. The universities themselves have stopped doing any relevant work anyway. If you are doing relevant research, people will find you out. Good work is universal. I do not think that it is the fault of industries but that of the universities themselves. If you are doing any relevant work, if they are not coming, you call them and tell them what you are doing. An industry will normally be interested, and they will give the grants and produce the results which the industries will use. It is just that our universities have stopped being relevant even to themselves.
Is Nigeria over-saturated with universities?
I do not think so. The population has grown so much. There are many people of university age, and I am surprised at the number of people who ordinarily should be in the university, but they are not. The private universities are there just to add to what the public universities are providing. For goodness’s sake, the more, the merrier. The more universities we have the better. That is why the National Universities Commission is there to regulate standards both in public and private universities. The idea is to ensure that standards are marinated. I don’t even think that we have enough universities. Think of the number of out of school children, those that are supposed to be in the universities, but they are not. The truth is that Nigeria is underserved as far as the number of universities are concerned.
On Zoning and finding a suitable candidate to move Nigeria from the present quagmire
I think in many countries, they do not need to zone anything. The President of the USA can come from any State whether Republican or Democratic party, it does not really matter. The two parties can put up anybody from any side and they can either win or lose the election. But, by the way, you find that they take into account each state in terms of size and population. It is not about looking at your faces but that you must win in certain key states before you can be deemed to have won. That is how Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump. In other words, every country that knows what to do also knows how to pick its leaders without necessarily zoning against anybody. Unfortunately, our country has a skewed political system. There is no doubt in my mind that there are some parts of Nigeria that feel like dominating and dominating forever. But unfortunately, it is in that part of the country that you have people who do not really care about others. …If we have to have a president in this country, I no longer care where he comes from…So what I am saying in effect is that zoning will probably be necessary in a country like ours where talents, industry are not evenly spread out. But still, I do not think that we can benefit from it. If you zone the presidency to the South East, we have to do something drastic to ensure that it is not hijacked by any of the buffoons around.
Congratulations once again for attaining the age of 80. Apart from now that you have retired from active life, how did you manage your active life and work balance?
I must say that my life was well cut out for me, coming from a higher school. Higher school prepared you for a life of research and training. For instance, if you are doing three subjects that have a laboratory component so after classes you are in the laboratory, preparing for your practical’s and laboratory work. As an undergraduate, you realize that you do your lectures, then practical’s. The practical’s are in the laboratories, and we have 8-9 lectures and 10-1pm practical’s, 2-3pm lectures and 3-6pm. So, three hours in the morning, three hours in the afternoon and three hours in the evening. With that type of routine, you grew up with it and it made me not to be observing siesta. I lost that routine of observing siesta when I was in High school when I was doing practical’s in the afternoon. So, you got into that habit, you never needed to sleep in the afternoon. And by the way, Americans think that siesta is a lazy thing to do. So, we had that grooming which started in our early years in the higher school. As a post graduate student, you arrange your laboratory work and do all the things you need to do in the morning and afternoon. So as a lecturer too, it was simple, you spread your time, doing lectures and practicals, going from one to the other.
What year did you marry?
I got married in January 1974. I got my Ph.D. in July 1973, same year I was appointed lecturer at University of Ibadan. I was handed my letter of appointment immediately after I finished my Ph.D. programme.
Where did you meet your wife?
I met my wife at Owerri when I was teaching at Holy Ghost College. Before I went back to Ibadan for my Ph.D., I returned to Holy Ghost College when the war ended, and my wife also returned to Owerri Girls to continue her education. She was at Owerri Girls before the war broke out and returned immediately after the war. By January 1970, I was back to Holy Ghost College doing my teaching. They were trooping to school from a neighbor’s house when I spotted her.
How did you spot her because as a catholic you were not supposed to look at her?
That is not true. Even priests look at girls (laughs). But I did nothing with her except that I saw her, and she stood out among the girls and was quite pretty, very good looking and quite striking and had a good complexion. So, you could see her among the girls. So, on one occasion, I called her because I was living in a flat opposite where they were coming out from and her sister. I asked for her name, and she told me. I showed interest in her and she knew it. We just kept relating like that from a distance. By October 1970, I went back to Ibadan to start my Ph.D. programme. She finished her school certificate and went to Holy Rosary, Enugu for her Higher Elementary programme. Her brother who is a professor of engineering now was teaching at the Institute of Management Technology (IMT) then. At a certain point, I had to make my interest known to her and her family while I was still at Ibadan.
Where is your wife from?
My wife is from Okpofe, Ezinihite-Mbaise. Meanwhile, along the line, the brother became a good friend of mine. So, he got the message. Eventually, I got introduced to the family while I was still at Ibadan. The father’s name is Chief John Okolie. He is a retired headmaster while her mother is a seamstress. I got my Ph.D. and was hired immediately. Later that year, I got myself a car. Fortunately, I had good sponsors, good funds during my postgraduate years. Good funding from the United Kingdom, so I could get married early after my Ph.D. Anyway, I got close to the family, and I was able to give instructions at home that there is this girl I have spotted, and I want to marry her. So, my father was alive then and he arranged and met with her family and performed the customary things. That was in 1973. By January of 1974, we agreed to get married. We had our convocation in November 1973. I appealed to her parents to grant her the permission for her to attend my Ph.D. convocation. So, she was at my Ph.D. convocation and by January of 1974, I received their approval and we got married. After the wedding, by July of that year, I proceeded to the United Kingdom for my post-doctoral programme and my wife was expecting our first child. In fact, I was in England when my first child was born. My mother-in-law was particularly good. The point I was trying to make was that my mother-in-law was available every time my wife was expecting a baby. It was just a question of delivering the baby and she went back to school. My wife did her Advanced Levels while I was away in England. She did three subjects while she was pregnant and passed all of them, she got admission into Ibadan even before I came back. She got direct admission to read English. By the time I came back, I met my first child. My mother in-law came from home and was taking care of the child. For each of our children, she was available, and all my wife needed to do was to put to bed, and she took care of everything. Our first four children were born at Ibadan, and she was always on hand to take care of them.
You got your Ph.D. under three years
Yes, I had my Ph.D. within two years and six months. For Zoology, it was quite remarkable. Until then, the department has never had Ph.Ds. Just like that, it was not my fault (Chuckles).
How many children do you have?
I have five children, three sons and two daughters. My children have done extremely well. They have gone to the best universities in the world; that I can tell you. The first one Gozie that was the only one at the university at the time attended University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus reading accounting. When the family was to relocate to the United States, she had to do inter university transfer to the City University in New York. She read accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the United States. Next to her is Obi. My children have the gift of the pen, they all write well. Obi went to Stanford University where he studied medicine. He is an orthopedic surgeon in the US. He owns Signature Orthopedics in Dallas. Chinwe, my third child, went to the same City University where she read political science. She had a GPA of four out of four. She later went to Harvard to read Law. She is a Harvard-trained lawyer now. She moved into the banking industry and is currently the managing director of Citi Bank. After Chinwe is Okey who went to Yale. He studied Business Administration. He is now with Exxon Mobil. The last child is KayCee who is the Wizkid of the family. I thank God for all of them.
