Thoughts on our love for foreign educational and professional qualifications
In the last few weeks, the media has been awash with news about the academic credentials of the erstwhile Managing Director of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Mrs Tinuade Sanda. According to several news reports, she has been parading degrees and qualifications from foreign institutions which do not appear to have been awarded to her.
The Cable, an online news publication, reviewed her LinkedIn page and stated that she claimed to possess a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Science (BASc) from Harvard Business School, USA and an MBA in Strategic Planning from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. Her profile also stated that she had been awarded a PhD in Financial Management and Entrepreneurship from “University Management Science and Technology, Benin Republic”. The Cable further cited an interview she had granted Punch Newspaper where she stated that her PhD was from the Icon University of Management Science and Technology, Benin Republic. Their investigation further revealed that her LinkedIn page had been edited since her termination, with significant changes in some of the previously listed educational qualifications.
Other facts revealed by The Cable’s investigations include the absence of evidence to prove the accreditation of Icon University in Benin Republic by the National Universities Commission (NUC) in Nigeria and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Benin Republic. Further checks with Harvard Business School revealed that she was not awarded a first degree from HBS, rather she attended a three-day executive course several years ago. A source at the University of Edinburgh also stated that Tinuade Sanda did not attend the institution. It is almost safe to say that she does not possess the previously stated qualifications from any of these universities. Her LinkedIn page, however, shows that she received a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
Why did Tinuade Sanda project herself as possessing qualifications which she did not hold? Why did she claim credentials from Harvard and Edinburgh, two well-known foreign institutions that can easily confirm or refute her claim? I’d wager it boils down to our love for foreign qualifications especially those considered as “Ivy League” (I use the term loosely for all top-rated global universities and not just the actual Ivy League institutions). I believe this has been encouraged for two reasons. The first is a result of the decline in our tertiary educational system and the need to acquire world-class education. The second is due to our innate need to “one-up” our neighbour (I better pass my neighbour), most likely as an outcome of the first reason. There may be other reasons but I consider these two the most obvious reasons.
Going abroad to obtain a foreign degree didn’t always have the prestige it has received in probably the last thirty to forty years (this timeline is a personal opinion). Once upon a long time ago, graduating from a Nigerian university was enough basis to boast of quality education. People would beat their chest saying with pride: “I studied Medicine in Ibadan”, “Ife has the best Architecture course”, and “The best place to study Political Science is in Zaria”. Every university prided itself on providing the best education in its chosen areas. They also delivered on their promise so much so that we even attracted many foreigners who obtained degrees here. Unfortunately, once our tertiary education system started going downhill, many people with the means or access to scholarships, started embracing foreign education as an option. They did this, in part, to ensure that they and their children had access to quality education. It was the sensible thing to do anyway.
Many people who accessed foreign education began to stand out for many reasons such as their enhanced knowledge, practical understanding of topical and specialist issues, and maybe, their liberal worldview. Some also carried an air of superiority about them which may have irritated but also enticed others. We all know people (or maybe we are “people”) who have gone abroad to acquire foreign qualifications and fit these descriptions. We probably also know people who decided to study abroad more because of the perception that it would enhance their career profile than for the educational rewards, irrespective of where that institution sits on the global university rankings. The doors appear to open faster for foreign graduates for various reasons. I won’t debate the merits and demerits of obtaining foreign education in this article.
Some people who obtained their first degrees in Nigeria before going for postgraduate studies abroad have also learnt to “whitewash” their profiles because of this love for foreign qualifications. I remember once when someone showed me a mutual connections profile and she had carefully omitted her Unilag degree in favour of her Imperial College master’s degree as though her tertiary education began at the postgraduate level. I had a good laugh, the game is the game. Another expression of our love for foreign credentials has to be the need to quickly declare oneself as an alumnus of institutions such as Harvard, Columbia, Oxford, Cambridge etc, after attending a 5-day executive education course! Haba!!!
Two weeks ago, I got an email with the subject: “Special Invitation/ Nomination for the Award of Honourary Doctorate of Prowess University, Delaware, USA”. I was quite surprised as I did not know anybody at Prowess University, even though I had heard of them before that day. I also didn’t know anyone from the organisation who sent me the email so I was a bit surprised. Which achievements earned me this recognition? I eagerly read through the e-mail (reproduced in part here as received):
“The Institute of Arts Management and Professional Studies in conjunction with its Advisory Board Members are pleased to notify you of your nomination for Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration (Honoris Causa) from Prowess University, Delaware, USA (PU). Your nomination hinged on your demonstration of integrity, priority, accountability, and transparency in Quality Service Delivery in Private and Public life”.
The mail further stated: “… you have been singled out as a proponent of Peace, Security, Justice and Equity; Humanitarianism, and Transformational Legislative Leadership, a firm believer of selfless service to humanity. You have been identified by our investigative team and confirmed by opinion moulders across the country as a beacon of hope to the underprivileged in society. It is at the backdrop of all these, that your nomination was made and endorsed unanimously by the Advisory Board Members of IAMPS and the Award Selections Committee headed by Professor Chidi Justice an experienced University Don”.
Me? A proponent of Peace, Security, Justice and Equity, Humanitarianism, and Transformational Legislative Leadership? It didn’t sound like what I knew about myself but just maybe I had been underrating myself. Reading further through the e-mail took me from elation to disappointment: a fee was involved. For the princely sum of =N=1,100,000.00 (the Honorary Doctorate Award Fee), I would receive an Honorary Doctorate Degree Certificate, award plaque and medal, and a full-coloured page profile publication, amongst a few other items. I would, of course, also receive the right to add the Dr. prefix to my name.
Dr Oritsegbubemi Atimomo, PhD Public Administration (Honoris Causa), Prowess University, Delaware, USA. I like the sound of that. So, I can pepper my enemies for just one million Naira? My people, update has landed o. Just in case you carried last like me, you know what to do! Why didn’t I know this before? Does that mean that all the people I have seen receiving honourary doctorate degrees in Nigeria from foreign universities paid for their awards? Hmmm, these are the issues.
Mrs Sanda is not the first nor will she be the last person to claim qualifications that she did not earn. I have seen quite a few people in my career and even in the public space, we have had a few public officials caught in their web of lies, from Toronto to Jacksonville, and probably Chicago. In my opinion, the most significant root cause is the poor state of our public university system. Many private universities have already begun to make waves in educational society but how many people can afford private education? We all pray that the public education system will receive an intervention but will that prayer ever be heard?
Anyway, if you have ever considered misrepresenting your qualifications, don’t bother, you may be exposed sooner than you think. I wish I knew why Mrs Sanda altered her academic profile but I guess it wouldn’t be far from the need to position herself in society and maybe also “tension” people as she would be mixing with other alumni. I also wonder why the institutions she had worked with never queried her qualifications and why it took her sack before her alleged duplicity was noticed, but this article isn’t about that.
Foreign qualifications are nice to have but more important is the ability to execute the tasks we are responsible for. Let’s focus on results instead of packaging, self-improvement and development instead of attempting to take the easy way out, and maybe, we can build the profiles we truly desire. This is the way I see things today.