From Taiwo Oluwadare, Ibadan
A Professor of History and International Studies, Osun State University, Siyan Oyeweso has called on the Nigerian government to provide measures to strengthen existing universities towards sustainability.
Oyeweso made the call at the Interdisciplinary Research Discourse organised by the Postgraduate College, University of Ibadan, (UI) on Tuesday evening.
While delivering his lecture titled: “Interrogating Issues in the Proliferation of Universities in Nigeria”, Oyeweso noted lack of funding and sustainability as factors affecting the development of Nigerian universities.
Oyeweso in his submission said a committee of relevant stakeholders should be constituted to take a look at the already established universities now and to map the way forward.
He said Nigeria needed a university that has a sustainable, definitive academic calendar, and sustainable funding, that was the way to go.
According to him, for any good university to be established it must have a maturation period. It must grow under the already established good university.
“The law establishing LASU was passed in 1983 but the process started way back 1979 to 1981 and it did not commence academic activities until Oct. 1984 and it was midwife by UniLag.
“University of Ibadan midwife University of Ife, what we now refer to as the University of Ilorin was midwife also by the University of Ibadan, also the University of Jos was a campus of the University of Ibadan and the University of Calabar was a campus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
“You must have models, templates, and financial sustainability. The case of Osun State University was the contract that we had with staff that we have a moratorium of five years that we will not be on any strike because we want to have a sustainable academic calendar.
“And we adopted Sept. 21 of every year as the foundation day. If you enter the Osun State University today we will give the date of your graduation and we have kept that faith and maintained that tradition to date,” he said.
Oyeweso tasked the committee of vice-chancellors of first-generation universities to map out alternative sources of funding while cautioning the government to stop licencing unknown universities that won’t survive.
Speaking on private universities, Oyeweso said other private universities should copy the template of those that have been excelling and focus on solving societal challenges to be relevant.
“They should follow those private universities that are excelling in ranking and ground-breaking research,”
In his opening remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Kayode Adebowale said a nation cannot grow beyond the state of its university system.
Adebowale who traced the history of the establishment of the first generation of universities in Nigeria said they were established based on research and the needs of the country at that time.
He said there were 270 universities in Nigeria but its proliferation has not addressed critical factors that could solve the challenges of the nation because their establishment was not sustainable but merely political.
“The universities that we’re being set up now, I don’t know whether they were research-based or politically motivated,” Adebowale said.
The vice-chancellor however commended the UI Postgraduate College for the Interdisciplinary Research Discourse, adding that should Nigeria continue to create new universities with the state of the current one.