At the 19th Annual Retreat and 76th Business Meeting of the Association of Registrars of Nigerian Universities (ARNU), held at Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State, university registrars highlighted lack of political will and unstable leadership as major hurdles stifling Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
The retreat, themed “Navigating the Challenging Terrain of University Administration in Nigeria: Retrospection into the Future,” concluded with a communique outlining the decades-long decline in the nation’s university system. The registrars called for innovative solutions and strategic reforms to reverse the trend.
The communique bluntly stated, “Poor governance and unstable leadership were identified as bedeviling the Nigerian University System; and to address the problems, universities must evolve sustainable development goals that would ensure optimal performance.”
To address these challenges, registrars advocated for strategic planning and financial independence through diversified revenue sources, with stronger collaboration between academia and the private sector. They stressed the importance of quality research and innovation to achieve university visions.
“Funding University Education in Nigeria should therefore be a multi-stakeholders’ business in order for the universities to attain their mandate and global competitiveness,” the communique added.
The registrars also highlighted their role as stabilizers in university governance, urging dynamic and innovative approaches to administration. They emphasized, “Registrars as facilitators in the university system must be on top of their jobs; be dynamic, cautious and creative so as to innovate administrative processes for better service delivery in the 21st Century University Administration.”
In a goodwill message, Chris Maiyaki, Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), praised registrars for their pivotal roles, stating, “Our universities produce not only products with the requisite skill sets to drive the economy, but, also, most importantly, to engage in research and innovation for socio-economic development.”
Maiyaki further urged universities to harness research and innovation to transform Nigeria’s economy from “resource-driven to knowledge-driven” amidst global challenges.
