When scholars start sounding like campaign managers

The presence of academics from Northern universities backing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for 2027 raises questions about the motives behind their involvement. Academics are typically skeptics, not endorsers of power, so their endorsement is particularly noteworthy. Rather than questioning the administration's record, this government seems desperate to have these scholars certify it, suggesting anxiety about its standing.

This desperation is evident in the choice of attendees - a political adviser, a vice chancellor, and state governors, rather than an education policymaker. The reception of the communiqué by a political operative rather than an education official highlights the true nature of the gathering: a campaign event, not a policy consultation.

This raises concerns about the intellectual independence of these academics. By endorsing the administration, they undermine their role as critics and models of rigorous, skeptical reasoning. Their actions, which blend political loyalty with academic robes, raise questions about the universities' role in producing citizens who question authority.

The pattern of such gatherings preceding elections is troubling, suggesting a strategy of using credible professions to manufacture appearance of endorsement. Whether financial inducement was involved is uncertain, but the resemblance to previous events like the clerics' meeting in Jigawa suggests a troubling trend. Universities should produce citizens who question authority, not credential it.

If academics cannot distinguish between analysis and endorsement, they have already answered the question of whose interests were served at these events.