By Jelilah Bilal

Former University of Ilorin Vice Chancellor and erstwhile JAMB registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, has called for a fundamental rethinking of Nigeria’s university system, saying institutions must move beyond surviving repeated disruptions to building systems capable of anticipating risks, adapting to change and delivering lasting public value.

Oloyede made the call on August 18, 2026, while delivering the keynote address at the 37th Annual Conference and General Assembly of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) at the University of Ilorin, Ilorin.

Speaking on the theme, “Reimaging Nigerian Universities for Resilience: Leadership, Innovation and Sustainability in a Disruptive Era”, Oloyede said fiscal instability, rapid technological change, climate pressures, insecurity, demographic growth, public distrust, industrial disputes and changing labour markets were now overlapping to place unprecedented pressure on higher education institutions. He said the idea of resilience should not be reduced to the ability of universities, staff and students to endure inadequate resources.

According to him, lecturers teaching large classes without proper facilities, students studying without reliable power or internet access, laboratories operating without essential equipment and administrators holding systems together through personal sacrifice should not be celebrated as evidence of institutional strength. He argued that resilience must instead mean the capacity to anticipate threats, withstand disruption, learn from experience and transform when existing arrangements no longer serve society. “Resilience is therefore not stubborn endurance. It is structured adaptation and disciplined renewal,” he said.

Oloyede noted that Nigeria had 310 federal, state and private universities at the beginning of 2026, but said the expansion of institutions had created a paradox in which demand remained high for some universities and programmes while many institutions struggled to attract applicants. He cited Federal Ministry of Education figures showing that 199 universities received fewer than 100 applications through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board in the preceding admission cycle in 2025, while 34 received none. He, thus, argued that these figures pointed to a deeper challenge involving distribution, institutional identity, relevance, public confidence and planning, rather than simply a shortage of access.

Oloyede warned against treating the creation of more universities as the automatic answer to the country’s higher education challenges, saying quality should not be sacrificed for quantity. He described the reported moratorium on the creation of new public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education as an opportunity for consolidation, infrastructure renewal, staff development, quality assurance and clearer institutional missions.

Additionally, he mentioned that Nigerian universities were facing five major pressures, including demographic, technological and fiscal pressures, which demanded a more deliberate approach to institutional planning while he warned that disappointment would grow where access remained narrow, academic quality was weak or programmes were disconnected from employment opportunities.

Technology, he said, was also transforming the production, teaching and application of knowledge, with artificial intelligence, automation, digital platforms and data analytics affecting disciplines far beyond computer science. He therefore called for continuous curriculum review, saying programmes in law, medicine, agriculture, engineering, humanities, education, administration and the creative industries must respond to changing professional requirements.

On funding, Oloyede said universities needed more resources but argued that financial sustainability also depended on governance, accountability and public trust. He mentioned that alumni and institutional partners were more likely to provide support when universities clearly explained their priorities, published audited accounts and demonstrated results. “Financial sustainability is therefore inseparable from integrity,” he said while also stressing that efforts to diversify university revenue must not make higher education inaccessible to students from poor households. Moreover, he advocated an integrated system involving student loans, scholarships, work study arrangements, targeted bursaries and transparent payment plans. Oloyede commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his attention to the Nigeria Education Loan Fund, saying its renewed role could support educational equity and advancement.

On human capacity, he warned that universities could not become resilient while losing experienced scholars, overloading early career academics or neglecting technical staff. He implored Nigerian institutions to provide functional laboratories, research support, fair promotion, manageable workloads, safe campuses and reliable digital access, alongside appropriate remuneration, to attract and retain talent.

He also urged universities to turn brain drain into brain gain by creating structured opportunities for academics in the diaspora to teach, supervise students, lead research projects, share facilities and participate in seminars. Student and staff welfare, he added, should be treated as part of academic quality, with universities providing counselling, referral systems, inclusive facilities and clear procedures for dealing with misconduct.

In furtherance, Oloyede argued that another weakness of the Nigerian university system was the tendency of institutions to imitate one another by pursuing similar programmes, centres and ranking measures. He called for mission differentiation, arguing that universities should develop distinctive strengths according to their mandates, locations, staff capacity, infrastructure and national needs.

In a bid to proffer a solution, he advised that some institutions could focus on research and postgraduate education, while others could specialise in undergraduate teaching, agriculture, health, technology, teacher education, creative industries or regional development. He stressed that differentiation did not mean unequal dignity, but clarity of purpose.

Collaboration, he said, should accompany differentiation. Universities should share expensive equipment, specialised staff, digital resources and research facilities rather than repeatedly building identical systems. He thus praised the University of Ilorin’s leadership of the Consortium of Universities in Kwara State for promoting cooperation among institutions.

He also cautioned universities against relying on inherited routines simply because they had existed for many years. A system that depended on a few individuals to keep essential functions working, he said, remained vulnerable to sudden disruption. Universities needed stronger records systems, succession plans, digital infrastructure and clear institutional procedures so that leadership changes or unexpected shocks would not threaten their core operations.

Oloyede said the country’s university system should be viewed as an opportunity rather than merely a burden. More than 300 institutions collectively possessed significant academic expertise, research capacity and human resources. Better coordination could therefore allow universities to contribute more effectively to national priorities while reducing unnecessary duplication and improving the use of resources. He said the success of reform would depend on whether institutions were prepared to confront uncomfortable weaknesses and make difficult decisions. Universities, he added, must be willing to concentrate resources where they would have the greatest effect, redesign ineffective processes and publish reliable information about their performance.

Oloyede proposed that the conference establish a Nigerian Universities Resilience Compact, supported by measurable commitments, peer review and annual reporting through the Committee of Vice Chancellors. The proposed compact would focus on institutional integrity, strategic governance, student success, curriculum relevance, digital transformation, research for public value, sustainable finance, human capital, climate conscious campuses and inter university collaboration.

He said universities should also maintain strategic plans, risk registers, continuity arrangements and succession frameworks, while tracking student progression, retention, completion and graduate outcomes. He urged institutions to strengthen cybersecurity, data governance, digital accessibility and responsible use of artificial intelligence.

On research, he advocated mission focused programmes addressing national problems and called for promotion systems that recognised quality, mentorship, collaboration and impact rather than publication volume alone. He said the compact should be supported by a simple resilience scorecard that would help institutions identify weaknesses, learn from peers and demonstrate progress without creating another bureaucratic burden.

Beyond universities, Oloyede said the government must provide stable policies, predictable funding, respect for institutional autonomy and appointments based on competence. He urged the National Universities Commission to continue developing risk based and outcome focused quality assurance, while encouraging responsible experimentation without compromising standards. He also called on TETFund and other research funders to support competitive, long term and interdisciplinary research, with national research infrastructure treated as a shared resource.

Industry, he said, must deepen its relationship with universities by supporting curriculum development, internships, research, laboratories, endowed chairs and apprenticeship pathways. Alumni should also remain active members of the academic community through mentoring, continuing education, expertise and financial support.

While he warned that a fragile university system would produce fragile institutions beyond the campus by sending inadequately prepared professionals into hospitals, schools, courts, businesses and public agencies, he, conversely, argued that resilient universities could multiply national capability and help Nigeria address its problems through shared knowledge, facilities, expertise and coordinated research.

In his concluding remarks, Oloyede said leadership would determine whether disruption produced confusion or renewal, while innovation would determine whether universities remained relevant and sustainability would determine whether present gains could endure. He called for a renewed social contract involving government, university councils, management, staff, students, industry, alumni, communities and regulators.

He urged every university represented at the conference to return home with a 90-day agenda identifying its most serious vulnerabilities, transformative priorities, responsible officials, resources and measures of progress.

He said the future image of the Nigerian university would not be created through slogans or public relations, but through repeated choices that made merit, evidence, maintenance, collaboration, learning and service part of institutional culture.

“The challenge before us is formidable, but it is not beyond us,” Oloyede said, urging Nigerian universities to see themselves differently, organise more intelligently and judge their success by the public value they create.