Baze University VC Talks About Pressure from Financial Demands

The Vice-Chancellor of Baze University, Abiodun Adeniyi, says he has been under constant pressure for money since he took office.

Mr Adeniyi shared this in a Facebook post on Thursday. He said the financial demands started coming in after he became the vice-chancellor of the Abuja-based private university.

"I became Vice-Chancellor, to His glory, and I began receiving a torrent of financial demands," the professor wrote.

He mentioned that one person asked him for cash to finish a house that was at the lintel stage. This person claimed that he received a revelation that Mr Adeniyi was the one meant to fund the house.

Another individual wanted him to pay for an overseas trip to celebrate his birthday because he had never traveled outside the country. He also received a text from someone asking for a credit alert of ₦5 million to sort out urgent needs.

The vice-chancellor said he tried to explain to one person seeking financial help that his salary could not cover the request. But the person did not seem to care about the explanation.

Mr Adeniyi reflected on these experiences. He pointed out that many people depend on relatives, friends, and acquaintances they see as financially stable due to the tough economic situation.

He noted that African societies are community-oriented, where sharing, giving, and receiving are part of social life. But he mentioned that the pressure on those seen as well-off increases due to high unemployment, low job opportunities, and weak social support systems.

"The demands on individuals perceived as privileged multiply because of poorly managed systems, leading to unemployment, underemployment, inadequate social safety nets, and less responsive institutions," he said.

He believes that better job opportunities and stronger support systems could ease the financial strain on individuals. "If citizens are gainfully employed and adequately supported, the pressure on others would be less, or perhaps completely absent," he wrote.

Mr Adeniyi also connected these social pressures to the challenges faced by politicians. He said the need to meet constant financial demands might lead some political officeholders to engage in corrupt actions.

"This may be part of why a political office holder seeking goodwill might steal or seek loans, looking for funds to respond to the accumulated demands," he said.

He hopes that one day the economy will improve. He wants citizens to be able to thrive on their own or rely on supportive structures instead of individuals. He added, "and perhaps compelled corruption may reduce."

Pressure on university leaders has caused issues in Nigeria before, but Mr Adeniyi's case is about personal financial requests.

In January 2024, PREMIUM TIMES reported that some public university vice-chancellors accused lawmakers of running an extortion scheme.

But Mr Adeniyi's situation is different as it deals with personal financial demands. He became Vice-Chancellor of Baze University on 6 May.

Before this, Mr Adeniyi was the registrar of the university. Baze University said he and the new registrar, Ahmad Mahmoud Lawi, have both worked at the university for over ten years.

A communication scholar and journalist, Mr Adeniyi has also looked into the ongoing social and economic ties between people and their communities.