The Deputy Executive Secretary (Academic) of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Nuel Abiodun Saliu, has highlighted the urgent need for improved budgetary allocations and subventions to address the chronic underfunding of Nigerian universities.
Speaking at the 7th Annual Registry Lecture of Elizade University in Ondo State, Dr. Saliu emphasized that insufficient funding remains a significant barrier to the effective growth and development of the nation’s higher education system.
In his lecture titled “The Nigerian University System and its Many Challenges: The Way Forward,” Saliu identified adequate funding as a critical solution to the issues of poor remuneration and inadequate research and development within Nigerian universities.
He called for private university owners to refrain from viewing their institutions as profit-making ventures for at least the first ten years and urged them to employ qualified staff based on specific needs.
“There should be improved budgetary allocation and releases to public universities and improved subventions for private universities by their respective owners,” Saliu stated.
He also highlighted the necessity for private university owners to provide more infrastructural facilities and employ qualified academic staff in line with institutional requirements.
Saliu further advocated for the review and strengthening of NUC laws to enhance the regulation of the Nigerian University System (NUS). He emphasized the importance of periodic curriculum reviews to reflect global realities and the expansion of access to university education through increased carrying capacity, the implementation of the Transnational Education Policy, and the internationalisation of university education.
The deputy executive secretary identified several persistent challenges within the Nigerian University System, including inadequate funding, infrastructural deficits, poor remuneration, insecurity, insufficient research and development, the proliferation of illegal degree-awarding institutions, and weak regulatory laws.
“Funding is very crucial to the growth and development of universities. The university system requires substantial funds for the effective discharge of its core mandates of teaching, research, and community service,” Saliu asserted.
He lamented that both public and private universities suffer from grossly inadequate annual budgetary allocations and releases from their respective proprietors.
Studies have demonstrated that inadequate funding in Nigerian universities is attributed to several factors, including poor government allocations, low internally generated revenue, low school fee charges for public universities, low enrollment in private universities due to high tuition fees, institutional corruption, poor planning, insufficient research income, and minimal contributions from the private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and alumni.
“Inadequate funding leads to the underperformance of all aspects relevant to the quality delivery of university education in Nigeria, including the quality assurance activities of the regulator (NUC),” Saliu explained.
He stressed that the annual budget for university administration is insufficient to provide the necessary infrastructural facilities and human resources required for optimal functioning.
Former Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof. Adebisi Balogun, echoed these concerns, calling on the Federal Government to review the appointments to university governing councils.
Balogun criticised the tendency to view these appointments as political rewards rather than genuine calls to service.
The Registrar of Elizade University, Omololu Adegbenro, noted that the lecture series, which began in 2016, aims to create a suitable platform for discussing critical issues affecting the university system.
