400 Nigerian students languish in Chinese prisons —Tingilin

Tukur Hassan Tingilin is the Treasurer of Association of Nigerian Students in China, and is studying Mechanical Manufacture and Automation at Tianjin University of Technology and Education.  In this interview with Vanguard Learning, he talks about the difference between Chinese and Nigerian education, discriminations Nigerians face and number of Nigerian students in prison. Excerpts:

How do you think China’s educational system is useful to Nigeria’s need?
To start with, China is by far ahead of Nigeria in terms of educational facilities and infrastructure. So, I think the availability of better facilities/infrastructure will avail China-trained Nigerian students the necessary expertise and skills, especially in terms of practical knowledge and its application which is lacking or inadequate back home.

Secondly, with China’s rapid investments in most African countries (Nigeria inclusive), having Nigerians that have passed through the Chinese education system will go a long way in helping the country achieve a better synergy with Chinese investors. Such people will have a better understanding of the Chinese system, work ethics etc.

Presently, there are over 1,000 Nigerian students studying in China that have identified with the Association during the last tour we conducted in conjunction with the Nigerian Embassy, and most of them are on self sponsorship.

Why do most Chinese students prefer studying abroad, preferably in America and Europe?
I think this is driven, to a large extent, by the quest of most Chinese to learn and speak English, especially the younger generation. I have also come to a conclusion based on my interactions with some Chinese students, that they see America as a benchmark in everything, so they have this feeling that studying in Europe or America will help them achieve their aim of being able to learn and speak English as well as give them better prospects and opportunities.

For example, a recent analysis I watched on CCTVNEWS shows that a considerable number of graduates, especially with specialty in arts, find it difficult to secure jobs related to their fields or are unemployed. Another factor is low income. Like I said earlier, they have this notion that things are better in America and Europe and when they study in these places, they can secure high income jobs.

Is it true that most students who come here to study actually come to do other things?
It is true that some of the students who came to China to study end up doing other things that have, in some cases, led to imprisonment either as a result of fraud, drugs, promiscuity, etc. For example, some usually come to China under the guise of studying Chinese language, but they quit and go into social vices and end up being arrested and sent to prison.

But it would be fair to say only a handful of students compared to the large population of good Nigerian students are found wanting and have succeeded in putting the multitude of the Nigerian people and even students in an uncomfortable situation and given the country a bad image.

I was opportune to be at Beijing in July just before the Presidential visit where I heard the Nigerian Ambassador, Aminu Wali, say that there are currently over 400 Nigerians serving terms in various jails in China.
Wali also disclosed that 80 per cent of the prisoners committed drug-related offences. He also said about 80 per cent of the crimes committed by Africans were committed by Nigerian citizens.

The Ambassador called on the Federal Government and National Assembly to take action to support the efforts to help Nigerians in distress abroad and also support the embassies outside to “give more consular support to Nigerian prisoners or Nigerians who find themselves not only in prisons but in difficulties in the host countries.”
Also, the Ministry of Education and the Nigerian Universities Commission need to have a tighter grip on Nigerian institutions, especially secondary and tertiary education.

It is understandable that the country is still struggling with basic education so introducing another responsibility might overstretch the Ministry thereby making it unable to deliver any, but the area of concern here is the gross indiscipline displayed by our youths today. Discipline is a recipe for leadership, if the leader of tomorrow lacks discipline, then there is probably no tomorrow.

We have had cases of students who find it hard to attend classes, don’t have respect for their teachers but prefer to roam around during classes, dress indecently and are arrogant. We have heard of Nigerian students who cannot keep up their grades and had to be demoted to carry electives in elementary Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry or Biology, before proceeding to their major courses while fellow compatriots are best in their classes.

How do Nigerian students cope with discrimination and language barrier?
It is really challenging for anybody coming to China for the first time because you hardly get someone who can speak English. As students, we have to force ourselves to learn the language and it is really interesting to learn and speak because once the Chinese understands you can speak the language, they usually become more friendly and kind to you.

On the issue of discrimination, Asians are more accommodating compared with the Europeans and Americans. When you talk of Nigerians in particular, the discrimination for us is all over the world, even with our fellow Africans. After the last African Cup of Nations, the Senate President was quoted as saying that “Nigerians have few friends in Africa” which is really true.

It took some of my African friends in my class time before they started relating with me because they were warned from home not to associate with Nigerians. It took over a semester before a Tanzanian friend told me that he found us totally different from what he knows of Nigerians in his country.

Though the Chinese government has very strict laws and we have never heard cases of discrimination, but Nigerians always undergo thorough checking at airports and immigration because of the records we have.

Recently, we (the Association) received a lot of complaints from students in some Provinces that the universities they applied to denied them admission because they are Nigerians. Some reported to us that when they further enquired on why Nigerians only, they were referred to the Entry and Exit Police who usually are responsible for issuing students’ visa application form.

We forwarded these complaints to the Nigerian Embassy in Beijing and I urge the Foreign Affairs Ministry and Education Ministry to intervene, work together with Chinese Embassy to control the way students are being admitted, so that the image of the good ones will be saved and Nigerians will be free from such discriminations.

What is the difference in graduate education between China and Nigeria?
Graduate education in Nigeria is largely theory-based with little or no practical knowledge. This is due to inadequate facilities to meet the requirements of the large number of students as well as an unconducive atmosphere for research to thrive, especially with our obsolete equipment in our laboratories and workshops, outdated books in our libraries, lack of internet facilities, etc. All these have adverse effects on the benefits of graduate education back home.

On the other hand, the story is different here in China. I am not saying the system is perfect but it is definitely better than back home. Students gain a lot in terms of practical knowledge and researchers are up-to-date with research trends in their fields. Laboratories and workshops are equipped with modern facilities; internet facilities are always available, students use latest software related to their fields etc. All these give an edge or sort of benefit for a person that is opportune to study here over someone that studied back home. These are few of the differences in terms of benefits.