The National Universities Commission, NUC, has lamented over the increasing cases of security threats on campuses of Nigerian Universities.
Deputy Executive Secretary, NUC, Dr Biodun Saliu, raised the alarm while delivering the 7th Annual Registry lecture, held at the Elizade University,lara- Mokin, Ondo state.
The lecture was themed, ”The Nigerian University System and its many challenges: the way forward, said that the prevailing insecurity in the country is an emerging challenge in the nation’s university system.”
Dr. Salisu, speaking on the theme, said, ”There have been reported cases of security threats on campuses of Nigerian Universities.
”A number of Nigerian Universities have experienced so many cases of kidnap and abduction of members of the university community.
”Unfortunately, some academic staff and students have died in the process while others are still missing.
”A few incidents of kidnapping have also been reported in some universities in the North and in virtually all parts of the country.
”The rising insecurity in the country, which also affects our universities, is hindering teaching and research activities and undoubtedly the general well-being of the institution.”
He also listed some of the challenges faced by the Nigerian university system to include inadequate funding, infrastructural deficit, staffing deficit including brain drain syndrome, poor remuneration, inability to prioritize curriculum re- engineering and relevance, governance and administrative issues.
Others according to him include poor research and development/ weak university-industry linkages and collaborations, undue interference by some professional bodies, unstable academic calendar, inadequate access, proliferation of illegal degree- awarding institutions, weak National Universities Commission laws and Disregard to National Universities Commission regulations.
The Deputy Executive Secretary however posited that these challenges ”as tough as they may appear are not insurmountable.”
Addressing the way forward, Dr Saliu called for improved funding, strengthening of the National Universities Commission by law, timely curriculum re- engineering and review, and timely reviews of quality assurance instruments by the National Universities Commission and strategic planning to set priorities.
“There should be improved budgetary allocation and release to public universities and improved subvention for private universities by their owners, private university owners should stop seeing their universities as profit making ventures for at least the first 10 years of their commencement of academic activities,” he proffered.
“More qualified academic staff should be employed in the universities based on areas of needs, provision of more infrastructural facilities in all the higher institutions, expansion of access to University education and improved content delivery of programmes through the utilization of ICT enabled blended learning,” he added.
Also speaking, the former Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof Adebisi Balogun, faulted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for reviewing the members of the governing council of the universities barely one year after the dissolution of the former board.
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According to him, some politicians have seen the appointment of chairman and members of the governing council of universities as a means to patronize members of their political parties.
Balogun said the university system has grown over the decades from the one established in 1948, adding that the student population in 1948 was 148 and has grown to 1.8 million in the 2018/2019 academic year.
On his part, the Registrar of Elizade University, Omololu Adegbenro, said the lecture series which started in 2016 was aimed at creating a suitable avenue for discussion on matters about the university system and its administration, especially the roles of registry in achieving a versatile university system with global best practices.
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