The Founder of the Elizade University, Ilara Mokin, Ondo State, Chief Michael Ade.Ojo, has urged the federal government to come to the aid of private universities in the country amid the prevailing economic downturn in the country.

While lamenting that private universities had been battling the issue of funding challenges, Ade.Ojo maintained that it had been the cog in the wheel of development of the institutions, stressing that the founders of the universities solely bear the responsibility of financing them.

The founder of the institution, who made the appeal during the combined 8th and 9th convocation ceremonies of the university, stated that the call became imperative, particularly that graduates of private institutions contribute to the country’s development.

He said, “The major challenge facing private universities in Nigeria is funding. This is a cog in the wheel of development of these institutions. The founders of these universities in general solely bear the responsibility of financing them.

“Let me use this medium to call on the Federal Government through the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, and the Honourable Minister of Education to devise means of assisting private universities since the graduates produced by these institutions contribute immensely to national development.”

On his part, the Pro-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Olufemi Bamiro, stated that, “We have enacted a revised Student Handbook to guide and shape student life, ensuring that our students have a comprehensive understanding of their rights and responsibilities.

“Moreover, the university council has approved a new gender policy, now fully operational, which underscores our commitment to inclusivity, equality, and fairness for all members of the university community.”

The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Kayode Ijadunola, emphasised that the institution had been rapidly growing in the area of research and innovative development.

“We are a fast-growing university with a progressively towering research portfolio and reputation that needs to be properly harnessed and packaged for global relevance.

“I will like to outline some landmark achievements of our staff and students in research and innovation for development since our last convocation in 2022.

According to him, a total of 51 graduates are in the first-class category, 196 are in the second-class upper category, 191 are in the second-class lower category, and the remaining 46 are in the third-class category. Aside from that, he said the university awarded 16 postgraduate diplomas, 51 master’s degrees, two Master of Philosophy degrees, and five Doctor of Philosophy degrees.

Ijadunola said the convocation ceremony was the first time the university would be graduating students from the recently created Faculty of Allied Health Sciences. He said the overall best-graduating student and recipient of both the Chancellor’s and the Vice-Chancellor’s prizes for the 2023/2024 session is Imogu Emmanuella Ifunanya of the Department of Civil Engineering, with a CGPA of 4.95.