Grant full financial autonomy to varsities, Okojie tells FG

A Former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Julius Okojie, has called on the Federal Government to amend the University Autonomy Act to give the nation’s universities full financial autonomy for optimum performance and delivery.

Okojie, who is a former Vice Chancellor, made the call during the third convocation of Kola Daisi University (KDU), Ibadan, which took place at Agbeke Memorial Hall of the university.
He spoke on the theme, ‘The Nigerian Education System at a Crossroads’.

Okojie said one of the urgent steps needed to address the major challenges in the education sector is to revisit the University Autonomy law.

He said: “I served as a member of the University Autonomy Committee in 2001 as the Chairman, the Committee of Vice Chancellor.  In the final analysis, the universities had partial autonomy. They were given administrative autonomy but not financial autonomy.  If universities want true autonomy, the Act should be revisited. The public universities should act as enterprises, generating their own funds in agreement with the government policies and stretching their hands of cooperation to the private sector for effective collaboration in research and services provision.”

He also lamented the domination of university Councils by politicians, saying politics, religion and ethnicity were destroying Nigeria’s universities.

“The Councils of universities should not be dominated by political stalwarts who are professional politicians.  They should be respectable and knowledgeable in the major programmes focus of the university.

“The role played by politics, religion and ethnicity are destroying our universities. Our universities are not productive. They should be challenged with national problems on environment, climate change, economic development, relevant research that would result in patents and inventions and so on, and be positively involved in national discussion. The Research Institutes should be encouraged to work with the universities in the innovation and development endeavours of the nation,’’ he added.

Okojie also lamented that polytechnics were going into extinction, saying urgent steps must be taken to reverse the trend.
His wards: “The polytechnics are going into extinction with poor subscription by students and fewer students finishing their studies every year.  The government may consider turning them into polytechnic universities.

“Our academics and experts in the Diaspora should be encouraged to work with the home-based experts and professionals in the areas of research, including block chain technology, Artificial Intelligence and emotional intelligence.”

The institution’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Adeniyi Olatunbosun, charged the graduating students to go and impact the society positively, saying: “My dear graduands, again, I congratulate you as you have attained a great feat in your life’s journey. I am optimistic that with the knowledge imbued in you while studying here, you are poised to be game-changers. I charge you to go out there and join in transforming Nigeria into global reckoning”.

The vice chancellor disclosed that 123 students graduated, out of which 12 bagged First Class, 50 Second Class Upper Division, 39 Second Class Lower Division and 22 Third Class degrees.

The Chancellor of the university, Chief Kola Daisi, said the institution would continue to up its games to move to the enviable height.

“Our country, indeed the world today, is in desperate need of individuals whose innovation and creativity can help resolve the humongous challenges confronting us,” he noted.