Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, on Tuesday assured university dons of the Federal Government’s commitment not to interfere with the running of Nigerian universities.
The SGF made the government’s position known at the opening of the retreat for governing councils of federal universities in Abuja.
Represented by a Permanent Secretary in his office, Dr. Jamila Suara, Anyim said: “Let me assure you that the Federal Government is committed to university autonomy.
“The government will not interfere with the functions of the governing councils except when their actions or inactions are inimical to the progress of the university.
“It is a strong belief of the Federal Government that high quality governance in universities will only come about if governing councils, senate and vice chancellors perform their roles with skills and efficiency.”
Anyim added that government was fully appraised of the kind of universities that would deliver their goals for national development.
“Government has, therefore, painstakingly selected members of the Governing Councils that are expected to drive these aspirations to fruition,” he said.
He urged the council members to discharge their collective and individual responsibilities diligently.
Anyim also urged them to ensure that they tackled the dearth of the academic staff by giving high priority to post graduate training.
He said: “The Needs Assessment Report revealed that, while 85 per cent of students were enrolled for graduate studies, only three and two per cent of the students were enrolled for Masters and Ph.D programmes respectively.”
He noted that another worrisome issue that needed to be addressed decisively was the incessant strike by unions and its resultant instability in Nigerian universities.
He said: “This instability, not only has a negative effect on parents and guardians and the students, but the perception of Nigerian degrees by foreign bodies.
“Unions should, therefore, be encouraged to embrace dialogue as a more productive alternative to strike.”
Anyim charged members of the governing councils not to interfere with the day-to-day running of the universities, but focus on policy issues, adopt best practices and monitor institutional projects as well as source for outside support for their institutions.
In a keynote address at the event, the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i, underscored the importance of maintaining the university culture of excellence.
Rufa’i said a university would cease to be relevant if it fell short of its tripartite function of teaching, research and community service.
She, therefore, charged members of the governing councils to ensure that academic programmes were in line with the core mandates of the universities and met international standards.
The minister also urged them to ensure that such programmes were accredited with the National Universities Commission.
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