File Source: Punch
Former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, has revealed that no fewer than 239 first-class graduates employed as lecturers by the university between 2015 and 2022 have since left due to poor pay, low motivation, and harsh working conditions.
Ogundipe made the disclosure on Tuesday while delivering a lecture at The PUNCH Forum themed “Innovative Funding of Functional Education in the Digital Age,” held at The PUNCH Place, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
According to him, UNILAG had retained 256 first-class graduates as lecturers within the seven-year period, but only 17 were still in the university’s service as of October 2023.
> “At UNILAG, we decided that those with first-class honours should be employed. What is remaining is not up to 10 per cent. In 2015, 86 were employed; in 2016, 82; and from 2017 to 2022, 88 were employed. As of October 2023, only 17 were on the ground. They have gone,” he lamented.
The former VC warned that unless urgent action is taken, Nigerian universities may face a future where women dominate academic staff, while many postgraduate programmes admit ill-prepared candidates.
Ogundipe decried the chronic underfunding of education, stressing that allocations at both federal and state levels have consistently remained below 10 per cent—far less than UNESCO’s recommended 15–26 per cent.
He urged lawmakers to mandate a minimum of N1bn annual allocation for each first-generation university to tackle infrastructure decay.
Highlighting the strain on Nigerian universities, Ogundipe noted that Internally Generated Revenue, which should support research, is now being diverted to basic needs due to inadequate funding.
He further called for innovative funding strategies, such as public-private partnerships, alumni endowments, philanthropy, education bonds, and diaspora investments.
“The private sector should see education support not just as social responsibility but as enlightened self-interest in building the workforce of tomorrow. To alumni, remember that the institutions that made you now need you. Give, mentor, endow, and advocate for your alma mater,” he urged.
Ogundipe, now Pro-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Osun State, also warned of the broader consequences of neglecting education, pointing to Nigeria’s alarming figure of 10–22 million out-of-school children and the poor state of digital learning facilities.
The event, hosted by PUNCH Nigeria Limited, was attended by top management and editorial staff of the media house, alongside education stakeholders and policymakers.
