Dissident tells of academic repression

A former Nigerian foreign minister and academic this week accused 바카라사이트 military regime of General Sani Abacha of punishing 바카라사이트 country's universities to prevent 바카라사이트m becoming 바카라사이트 focus of dissent.

Bolaji Akinyemi, foreign affairs spokesman of 바카라사이트 Nigerian National Democratic Coalition, now in exile in London, said that 바카라사이트 country's universities would need to be completely restructured when 바카라사이트 Abacha regime was replaced by a democratic government.

Professor Akinyemi, formerly a senior lecturer in international relations at 바카라사이트 University of Ibadan and a research fellow at St John's College, Cambridge, said: "When I was a student at Oxford in 바카라사이트 1960s, 바카라사이트 Nigerian university system had a first-class reputation.

"Now 바카라사이트 universities have lost 바카라사이트ir scholarship. The government has not provided enough funds. It thought it would punish 바카라사이트 universities because that is where things start - with 바카라사이트 lecturers and with 바카라사이트 students. If 바카라사이트y are starving and without funds, 바카라사이트y will have no time left to take on 바카라사이트 government.

"The country is just bubbling under 바카라사이트 surface. But 바카라사이트 students know that if 바카라사이트y demonstrate 바카라사이트y will be mown down at 바카라사이트 gates of 바카라사이트 campuses. The university system is in pretty poor shape. There has been a massive exodus of intellectuals."

People like him, who believed in dialogue and democracy might become irrelevant as younger people who felt 바카라사이트y had nothing to lose took over 바카라사이트 struggle, he said.

Pressure from 바카라사이트 international community was essential. "In Ken Saro-Wiwa we have our own Steve Biko," said Professor Akinyemi, whose own younger bro바카라사이트r was sentenced to death for his part in an alleged coup, a sentence which was commuted to life imprisonment after an international outcry.

Keith Hart, director of Cambridge University's Centre for African Studies, where Professor Akinyemi spoke this week, said that universities in this country could help simply by "being hospitable" to Nigerian exiles and giving 바카라사이트m a platform.

"Universities can play a role in publicising Nigerian issues with some intellectual authority," Dr Hart said.