FACT CHECK: Does Any University Offer Eight-Year Course?
Truthfully, there is no indication of existence of any eight-year course in any registered higher institution in Nigeria.
Various checks by this reporter to ascertain if there is any eight-year course duration in Nigerian universities or polytechnics proved that such notion and assumption does not exist and obtainable in any tertiary schools across the country.
MOTIVATION FOR THE FACT CHECKING
It would be recalled that the presidential flag-bearer of the ruling All Progressive Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Thursday, pledged that students in tertiary institutions would spend eight years if he is elected next Nigerian President in the upcoming general election.
Mr. Tinubu, who spoke in Yoruba language in a viral video obtained on the internet, made this declaration during his campaign rally in Osun State where mammoth crowd of young people and party supporters welcomed him to the state.
The former governor of Lagos State boastfully noted that Nigerians who have not gained admission and the ones who have gained admission should call him a bastard if they stay in their institutions for more than eight years.
Speaking during his presidential campaign, Tinubu said, “For those that have not gained admission and the ones that are in school, you can call me a bastard if you spend more than eight years in school, you would use eight years to study.”
FACT CHECKING FINDINGS
This reporter understands that university is a higher education institution in the country that awards various degree certificates for different academic programmes. The major awards being offered by many Nigerian universities include, Bachelor degrees, Masters degrees, Doctoral degrees and Diploma certificates. It was gathered that none of these programmes run for a period of eight years. For clarity, according to studentship.com.ng, Bachelor programmes majorly run for four years of full-time study, while some courses in Law, Medicine and Mechanical Sciences take a period of five years or six years. For record's sake, law students spend a minimum of five years in university before embarking to the Nigerian Law school to study the practical aspect of the Nigerian legal system for just one year. Other courses in the category of five- year duration are: Agricultural, Engineering and some courses in Medical Sciences. Meanwhile, courses like Medicine and Surgery, Optometry, Veterinary Medicine, Dentistry and Dental Technology take a concurrent six years period to complete.
Similarly, a senior lecturer in the Lagos State University, who spoke on condition of anonymity, enlightened this reporter that a Masters programme takes a minimum of one year while Doctoral Degree can be obtained within a period of three years, considering the situation and dedication of the doctoral student.
FINAL REPORT
It is logically impossible to use eight years to study any programmes in Nigerian universities, both in public and private. The impossibility can only happen in the event of prolonged ASUU strike (Academic Staff Union of Universities) or the student is battling with carryover courses. Therefore, unless the APC presidential flag-bearer has planned to radically change Nigeria's education system, his statement in Osun State on Thursday would better be described as erroneous. On a final note, efforts to get any clarification from APC presidential candidate or his campaign media council proved abortive as there were no available channels to communicate.
Damilare Adeleye is a freelance journalist. Can be reached via: [email protected].