Mr. Governor, 100 master’s degrees for N40m (II)

‘Are you making money from this?’ One of the reactions on Twitter to last week’s column amused me a good deal: “Dr. @dooba123’s column really carried the day. For others, having such info at their disposal then, it must fetch them some money,” a follower wrote. I guess what this my friend and many others […]

‘Are you making money from this?’
One of the reactions on Twitter to last week’s column amused me a good deal: “Dr. @dooba123’s column really carried the day. For others, having such info at their disposal then, it must fetch them some money,” a follower wrote.
I guess what this my friend and many others are trying to convey is that this is an opportunity to make money for anybody with such information and access. So do I make money from this? No. Actually for the state governments who have indicated interest, I specifically told them that I would be doing this for free. Why?
For many reasons. One, there are many things that are more important than money, such as a good name and reward from Allah. Two, the desire to get people from Arewa educated is wider in scope than my desire for money. Three, money doesn’t motivate me enough to get out of bed, providing free service – fisabilillah – does. Besides, I’ve long come to, and made peace with, the realisation that someone like me will never be rich.
Don’t get me wrong, I like money (and the comfort that it affords) as much as the next guy, but I’m lucky to be in a company of northerners who look beyond temporal possessions of fleeting moments when thinking about their people. These individuals are in every sector, both male and female. Consider for example, Dr. Ibrahim Abdulaziz, who brought this information to my attention, did it, as he said, “to help my people.”
We’ve therefore promised the states the following services free of charge: One, consulting (linkages and internationalisation services between the states and the university).  Two, screening and recruitment of candidates based on merit. This would free the states from unnecessary political burden. Finally, we will organise workshops to prepare the students for postgraduate life, proposal writing, and research methods as well as provide research proposal templates.
Offering these services for free does make sense. This way, the governors can hit the ground running and we would achieve our aim of facilitating the education of our people in great numbers. However, the states would provide logistics, especially now that I don’t have a car to my name. Finally, in the interest of full disclosure, the university has accepted to give me a few places, so that I can sponsor students through my own scholarship scheme.

Could one actually finish a master’s in 1.5 years and a PhD in 2.5 years?
First, a word of caution. It’s difficult to predict when you’re going to finish a PhD. Although the advert specified two and half years, anyone who has undergone PhD training knows that many factors, including the nature of research, decide when you’re going to finish. Except the university has reduced the process to a science, which I doubt, those who are planning on going for a PhD shouldn’t take this as a promise cast in stone.  Although I had a professor who finished his PhD from Cornell in America in a year – I don’t know how he managed it!
But it is still possible. For instance, Abdulaziz told me that the university has many research grants in millions of ringgits. So it’s entirely possible that they have already earmarked problems to solve and topics of research for the incoming scholars, this would shave off a lot of time that students invest in seeking appropriate research topics and formulating researchable questions. As for the master’s degree in three semesters, it’s totally doable. Many finish their master’s in the UK in nine months.

What is the name of the school?
This is the oft-asked question. Accordingly, it’s been the one I’ve answered the most through emails, text messages and Facebook messenger. The university’s name wasn’t published earlier for a reason or two. Some years ago, new information came to light that whenever we publish opportunities like this, banners immediately go up in some locations erected by people who think they’re wiser and therefore must sell to our people what this column and Daily Trust provide for free.
Also, those who have lived in the diaspora, especially in Malaysia, know that some unscrupulous Nigerians could take advantage of the affordable tuition fees to register with the university, not because they want to study, but because they want to set up their 419, drug dealing and prostitution shops.
So I’ve adopted one solution. Email me your question and I’ll not hold back anything. That way, our interaction would tell me whether the questioner is genuine or not.

What are the courses?
The university has five faculties and two schools of postgraduate studies. The business management school recently earned a prestigious award. However, you may not see some engineering courses. This shouldn’t be a problem if you’re not overly concerned for the word ‘engineering’ to appear on your certificate because if you look closely enough, there are areas that may relate to your field.
 Faculty of Entrepreneurship & Business
This faculty has management, applied economics, Islamic banking, human capital, operational management, commercial law, accounting, health entrepreneurship, finance, e-commerce, tourism and about 50 other courses.
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Veterinary medicine has pathology, nutrition, anatomy, parasitology, physiology, animal surgery, epidemiology, livestock, public health and zoonosis, applied science, food safety and 20 others.
Faculty of Agro-based Industry
This faculty teaches agro-technopreneurship, product development, bio-industrial technology, botany, catalyst and reaction engineering, chemical sciences, crop physiology, irrigation and drainage engineering, material sciences, mathematics, microbiology, molecular and structural biology, engineering sciences, biopharmaceuticals, pharmacology, genetics, statistics, proteomics and 30 others.
Faculty of Earth Sciences
Here we have hydrology and hydraulic engineering, mineral science, pathology, environmental sustainability, environmental sciences, geosciences, natural resource management, material engineering, geology, geoscience, physical chemistry, agrobiodiversity, air pollution, geospatial, ecology, waste bioremediation, water quality and 10 others.
Faculty of Creative Technology and Heritage
This faculty teaches visual communication, architecture, arts and literature, creative writing, textile and fashion, product design, heritage studies, multimedia, arts and literature, creative writing, industrial building construction, industrial design, landscape management, musicology, economic modelling and forecasting, weaving, batik and traditional dress, theatre, product design (wood/metal), etc.
Centre for Language Studies and Generic Development
Under this faculty we have history and civilisation, psychology and industrial organisation, social work, religion and civilisation, Arabic language, corporate communication, education evaluation, curriculum development, education management, health communication, advertising, human communication, Islamic studies, laboratory phonetics and speech science, mass communication, linguistics, persuasion, psychology, public relations, Qur’anic and Hadith studies, religion and society, social entrepreneurship, social Islamic entrepreneurship, teacher training and traditional performing arts.