By Gimba Kakanda
I came across this photograph of one of Emir Sanusi’s lecturers at Northwest University, Kano, immobilised by deference, despite Emir Sanusi’s outstretched hand, and it made me wonder how such a lecturer would function when grading him, or exercise discretion to penalise him for misconduct during class hours. I believe the institution needs to organise a reorientation workshop for all its lecturers, to clearly draw the line between their professional obligations and cultural deference, or alternatively have them visit Baze University, Abuja to observe how VIPs are treated as equals among other students, without any form of disrespect.
This should begin with ensuring that the new senior student, whom we all respect, comply strictly with the dress code. Beyond instilling an early professional identity, discipline, and the sense of responsibility associated with the profession, another reason law students of all ages are conditioned to dress uniformly from the day they embark on the programme is to minimise visible social and economic differences among them and reinforce equality. This stands in sharp contrast to what Emir Sanusi’s unconventional dressing appears to generate in the classroom: a climate of fear and unease, even among lecturers.
It is natural for Emir Sanusi’s presence to create such tension, given his cultural significance to the people, but that is not a reason to question the sincerity of what he has described as the pursuit of his childhood ambition. I respect him for this restless quest for knowledge. However, the intimidation arising from his stature is largely because he is studying within his cultural jurisdiction, and I am confident it would not have been exactly the same in, say, Lagos or even at the two premier private universities in Abuja.
Baze University has hosted a wide range of VIPs who came to study Law under its roof, from serving senators to ministers with intimidating security details. None, however, had the audacity to appear in class without the prescribed uniform: a black, navy blue, or dark grey suit with a black tie. On several occasions, VIP students were asked to leave the classroom for breaching protocol or denied entry altogether for arriving late.
In one instance, a VIP even reported a lecturer to the university’s Pro-Chancellor over a matter in which the student was clearly in the wrong, yet nothing came of it. The lecturer was allowed to continue in her role. Some time ago, Ahmed Isah, popularly known as Ordinary President of Brekete Family, shared on air that he dropped out of Baze University’s law programme due to conflicts with certain lecturers or something like that. One might reasonably infer that he assumed he could “VIP” his way through the institution.
There is, without doubt, respect for senior citizens and distinguished public figures , but that respect extends only so far as compliance with institutional regulations. If Emir Sanusi were a student at Baze, he would unquestionably have been required to wear the prescribed uniform, with no exceptions. The university has several no-nonsense professors, well known for their disciplinary firmness and ethical rigour, and there is simply no scenario in which Emir Sanusi would have been permitted to enter a classroom without a suit and black tie.
I am also not familiar with the grading policies at Northwest University, Kano, but it would be ethically sound to adopt a blind marking system, where students’ names or registration numbers are not visible on answer booklets and scripts are identified only through a bar-coding system after grading. This ensures that lecturers are not subconsciously influenced to assess certain students differently. This is the system in place at Baze University.