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From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin
Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, has urged the government at various levels, as well as private sectors to give more priorities to the funding of public universities across the country to address brain drain and decaying infrastructure.
Uzodimma stated this during the maiden convocations lecture he delivered at the Federal University Birnin Kebbi (FUBK),Kebbi State entitled: “ The Challenges of Funding Public Universities in Nigeria; Pathways to Sustainable Tertiary Education”.
The governor, represented by the Commissioner for Higher and Technical Education, Professor Victor Nwachuckwu, noted that the public universities are facing chronic inadequate funding due to limitations of budgets, which are competing with other national priorities.
He noted that brain drains being experienced in Nigeria, as well as decaying universities facilities could be attributed to insufficient funding by the government, whose priorities could not meet up with over 62 public universities currently in the country.
“In a nutshell, the current funding sources for Nigerian public universities are inadequate to meet the growing needs of the sector. Government allocations, while still the primary source of funding are constrained by budgetary limitations and competing national priorities.
“Tuition and fees remain low to ensure access, but this jeopardizes financial sustainability. Research grants and external funding offer opportunities but come with marked challenges,” he said.
The Chairman of the occasion, Professor Attahiru Jega who commended the Imo State governor for the excellent lecture, noted that only regional governments of Nigeria in the past budgeted 40 per cent of their budgets to the education sector. He stressed that only two states in the country budgeted about 13 per cent to 15 per cent of their budgets for education. The Vice -Chancellor of the University, Professor Muhammad Zayyanu Umar, appreciated all the guests that attended the lectures, stressing that the university has grown from three faculties to about 13 departments.
