Too Many 'Roadside Professors' In Nigeria — Ex NUC Boss

Many Professors in Nigeria do not merit the title, says a former Executive Secretary of the National University Commission (NUC), Professor Peter Okebukola.

Delivering a lecture titled: “When Will the Glory Days of Nigerian Universities Be Here” on Monday, as a Guest Lecturer at the 2014 Foundation Day Lecture of Osun State University, Osogbo, Okebukola said the process of professorial appointment in the country has become fraudulent.

“Some people just call themselves professors without any rigour in the appointment process.

"Those that were appointed as a professor without the necessary rigour are roadside professors.

"There are many of them calling themselves professors but they have not passed through the normal rigour of scholarship.

"So they are roadside professors”.

He said righting the professorial appointment is key to repositioning the education system.

Okebukola however noted that the National University Commission (NUC) is already addressing the matter.

“NUC is addressing the problem of the roadside professors and if they desist from introducing themselves as professors, they would be arrested and charged for forgery.

"Definitely, there must be sanction”.

He also spoke against the post Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) tests organised by Universities for prospective students, adding that it is "against the law."