By Gabriel Dike
Former Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Dr. Oluwatayo Aduloju and the Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, have challenged Nigerian universities to be at the forefront of wealth creation and advancement of the country.
The trio gave the charge to Nigerian universities at UNILAG Convocation Lecture, titled: Universities as Hubs for Development and Wealth Creation”,delivered by the NESG boss, Dr. Aduloju.
Fashola, who was chairman of the lecture, acknowledged the contributions of Nigerian universities in supporting the government to find solutions to national issues.
He challenged the universities to do more by providing qualified skilled manpower, research breakthrough for the benefit of the country, create wealth and solve some crucial societal problems.
The former governor acknowledged that several university scholars helped his administration to tackle some societal issues noticed in Lagos State during his time as governor.
In his address, UNILAG VC, Prof. Ogunsola, said in an era of rapid changes in knowledge, innovation and complex challenges, it is imperative to continuously evaluate how well the universities are doing in fulfilling its social contract with society.
Ogunsola added that it is important to also evaluate the universities to know if they are producing fit manpower, generating new knowledge to address societal problems and providing technology to shape the future.
Said she: “Higher education has long been a pathway out of poverty, enabling individuals to break the cycles of inequality but the traditional view of a university as an ivory tower of intellectual pursuit is increasingly outdated.
“Universities can no longer be mere repositories of knowledge; they must be dynamic players in the creation of wealth and the advancement of societies.”
In his lecture, Dr. Aduloju acknowledged that the potential of universities as hubs of development and wealth creation is self-evident.
He dropped a bombshell that universities are not consulted on how to build strong institutions in the country to aid political and economic development.
“Universities can play a role in transforming these institutions to benefit the country,” he observed.
According to him, in the last four decades, Nigeria, compared to its peers, has not achieved adequate economic and social development.
Aduloju cited Indonesia where its academics formed partnerships with industries individually rather than collectively, adding, ‘it would be nice for the Nigerian University System to achieve these levels of collaboration with industry by 2027.”
Aduloju noted that education has for long stayed at the periphery level of our national development and that what is required is for the universities to be at the centre of our national development.
He revealed that some Asian countries have transformed their educational institutions into hubs that connect industry, government and society to achieve a triple helix of collaboration.
He said in Nigeria, there is a need to create one that bridges the gap between academia and industry, fostering collaboration that rethinks societal functions and aligns goals with the development paths.
His words: “There must be an agreement to align the objectives and priorities of national universities with national development frontier targets. This alignment involves collaboration between the industry and government to establish a clear vision for the future.”
Aduloju advised Nigerian professors to spend sometimes in the industries to their needs and provide the solution, stating, “all the hubs in other countries, education played a major in their creation.”