President Bola Tinubu has asked all unions in the nation’s tertiary institutions to partner with the government to arrive at a funding blueprint for the university system that will take cognisance of local peculiarities and modern realities based on global best practices.
Tinubu made this known on Monday, 18 November, 2024 at the 76th Foundation Day of the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Represented by the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmed, the President stated that the unions must recognise that all sectors of the country needed more financing and that the government is working assiduously to perform its obligations with available resources.
The President cautioned that a collapsed economy would not be in the interest of anyone and therefore called on academic unions, particularly ASUU and others, to partner with the government in building the economy.
“At this juncture, let me persuade university unions, especially ASUU, to recognise that all sectors in the country need more financing and that the government is working assiduously to perform its obligations with the resources available to it.
“A collapsed economy will not be in anybody’s interests. I submit that unions should partner with the government to arrive at a funding blueprint for the university system in the country that will take cognisance of local peculiarities and modern realities based on global best practices,” Tinubu said.
“Ivory towers, the world over, are generally regarded as temples of wisdom and innovations. They are places where ideas are mined and even manufactured into finished products for the development of humanity. They are the bastions against darkness and strongholds from which policymakers and enforcers emerge to roll back the tides of ignorance and destruction.
“Any university that does not make worthwhile contributions to the positive transformation of its country and the global community has failed to live up to the reason for its existence.
“Arising from this fact, my challenge to Nigerian universities generally is to reassess themselves in the light of national and global expectations,” the president added.
Four hundred and eighty five graduands bagged the Doctor of Philosophy of the University of Ibadan while four distinguished Nigerians were conferred with honorary doctoral awards, including a former Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Oluwafemi Bamiro.
In his address at the event, the Sultan of Sokoto and Chancellor of the University, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, pleaded with the government at all levels to provide more funding to tertiary institutions to address the challenges facing the education sector.
Also speaking, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council of the university, Adebisi Akande, represented by Nelson Alakpa, expressed concerns about the disconnect between the Nigerian universities and the agriculture sector, calling for the establishment of farming villages.
While delivering his speech, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Kayode Adebowale, appealed to the President for special priority attention to be given to the University of Ibadan in the form of dedicated reconstruction and rehabilitation funds and an increased allocation spread over time.
He said, “I passionately appeal to the president for special priority attention to be given to the University of Ibadan in the form of dedicated reconstruction and rehabilitation funds, as well as an increased allocation spread over time.
“As the oldest university and an academic heritage of all Nigerians, the University of Ibadan should be given a special status that comes with sufficient support and resources to transform it into a world destination for academic and intellectual pilgrimage.”
