Aragbiji calls for implementation of policy thrust on specialised varsities

The Pro-Chancellor and Governing Council Chairman of the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdur-Rasheed Ayotunde Olabomi Odundun IV has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to ensure policy adherence and full implementation of mandate for the establishment of specialized Universities in the country.

Speaking recently during an interactive session of Pro-Chancellors and stakeholders of the Federal Ministry of Education on the Reinvention of Nigerian Universities at the Ministry’s office in Abuja, the monarch expressed displeasure over what he referred to as encumbrances of the conventional universities as evident in their combination of specialized courses with their general courses.

According to Aragbiji, specialized courses which were the rationale for the establishment of specialized Universities in the country should be made exclusive to them, urging the federal government to insulate the specialized institutions from mandate encumbrances by the conventional universities in Nigeria.

“The courses we offer in our specialized universities are also offered in the conventional universities. At the point of admission, we often run into problems of how many students can we admit,” he said.

“All the conventional universities have courses in agriculture, and we at the universities of agriculture do not have the capacity and legal backing to admit students into other courses offered by the conventional universities.

“We want to plead with the Ministry to insulate us, as we must be seen, as a federal University of Agriculture, to live up to our billing.

“Often times, we are left with the runs, admitting those who could not make it to other universities. I think the Ministry can support us by preventing some of these conventional universities from offering some of our courses.

“If we do this, we will succeed in inventing some form of specialization, and thereby expand our own scope.”

Speaking further, Oba Olabomi suggested to the Ministry to inaugurate a special committee that would comprise a select number of Pro-Chancellors across the country with a term of reference, among others, to come up with recommendations on panacea to the issue of encumbrances as identified.

Commending the government on the announcement of immediate disbursement of N30 billion with N1 billion naira to each of the 30 Federal Universities of Agriculture in Nigeria, FUNNAB Pro-Chancellor however, said the amount would be inadequate for fiscal implementation of the planned capital-intensive student training-based projects in his institution, the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, urging the government to ensure adequate funding for Nigerian Universities.