Institutional Frameworks for Managing Intergroup Conflicts Amongst the Social Partners in Nigerian Federal University System

Abstract

Unethical practices frequently cause disputes between social partners, and these conflicts usually results in problems for the administration of Nigeria's public universities, especially as they jeopardise academic integrity and make it difficult for institutions to carry out their operational mandates effectively. The research paper examines the effectiveness of institutional frameworks for handling intergroup conflicts among the social partners of Nigeria's Federal universities. The population of this qualitative study comprised of members of Governing Councils, principal officers of selected institutions, leaders of university-based trade unions, professional leaders in the tertiary education industry, and representatives of government agencies. Data were gathered through the use of a library to obtain a desk study analysis of available scholarly literature on institutional frameworks for preventing ethical issues that engender intergroup conflicts in the Nigerian Federal University system; the qualitative method was supported by semi-structured interviews with internal and external social partners in the university system. Findings from this study revealed that that management of disputes in academic settings affects innovation, research and academic excellence. Despite backlash from colleagues and the institution leadership, the resort to whistle-blowing is a credible complement to the legal and institutional frameworks for reducing unethical practices that might trigger intergroup conflicts in public institutions.