Strengthen and fund existing universities to address sustainability problems — Don

Siyan Oyeweso, a professor of History and International Studies at Osun State University, says the strengthening of existing universities will greatly enhance their sustainability.

Oyeweso stated this during the Interdisciplinary Research Discourse organized by the Postgraduate College of the University of Ibadan (UI) on Tuesday.

Supreme News reports that the discourse, which was the college’s 80th, was titled “Interrogating Issues in the Proliferation of Universities in Nigeria.”

In his submission, Oyeweso said a committee of relevant stakeholders should be constituted to take a look at the already established universities and  map the way forward.

He said Nigeria needed universities that had a definitive academic calendar and sustainable funding.

“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 Lagos State University (LASU) was passed in 1983 but the process started way back, from 1979 to 1981, and it did not commence academic activities until October 1984 and it was midwifed by the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

“University of Ibadan (UI) midwifed University of Ife, and what we now refer to as the University of Ilorin was midwifed 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 (UNN),” the professor said.

He argued that there must be models, templates, and financial sustainability programs in place.

“In the case of Osun State University, there was the contract that we had with staff that we will have a moratorium of five years and 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 Osun State University today, we will give the date of your graduation, and we have kept that faith and maintained that tradition till date,” Oyeweso said.

He urged the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of First-Generation Universities to map out alternative sources of funding.

Oyeweso also cautioned government against granting licences for universities which would not survive.

Speaking on private universities, he said other private universities should copy the template of those that have been excelling and focus on solving societal challenges in order to be relevant.

“They should follow those private universities that are excelling in ranking and ground-breaking research,” Oyeweso said.

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 country’s needs at that time.

He noted that while there were 270 universities in Nigeria it was alarming that this proliferation has not addressed critical factors that could solve the challenges of the nation.

”This is because their establishment was not sustainable, but merely political.

“The universities that are being set up now, I don’t know whether they are research-based or politically motivated,” Adebowale said.

The vice-chancellor however commended the UI Postgraduate College for the Interdisciplinary Research Discourse.