President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, warned that a collapsed Nigerian economy is an ill wind that blows nobody any good; so he called on the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other academic unions to partner the government in building the economy.
Tinubu, who was represented by the Minister of State for Education, Dr Suwaiba Ahmed, made the call while speaking at the 76th Founders’ Day of the University of Ibadan (UI), Oyo State.
A total of 485 students bagged Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the institution and four eminent Nigerians were given honorary doctoral awards, including a former Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Oluwafemi Bamiro.
The President maintained that unions must recognise that all sectors in the country need more financing and that the government was working assiduously to perform its obligations with available resources.
He said: “At this juncture, let me persuade university unions, especially ASUU, to recognise that all sectors in the country need more financing and that the government is working assiduously to perform its obligations with the resources available to it .
“A collapsed economy will not be in anybody’s interest. I submit that unions should partner the government to arrive at a funding blueprint for the university system in the country that will take cognisance of local peculiarities and modern realities based on global best practices.”
According to Tinubu, ivory towers, the world over, are generally regarded as temples of wisdom and innovations, places where ideas are mined and even turned into finished products for the development of humanity.
“They are the bastions against darkness and strongholds from which policymakers and enforcers emerge to roll back the tides of ignorance and destruction. Any university that does not make a worthwhile contribution to the positive transformation of its country and the global community has failed to live up to the reason for its existence.
“Arising from this fact, my challenge to Nigerian universities, generally, is to re-assess themselves in the light of national and global expectations,” he added.
The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the university’s council, Adebisi Akande, who was represented by Nelson Alakpa, lamented the disconnect between Nigerian universities and the agriculture sector. He called for the establishment of farming villages.
On his part, the Sultan of Sokoto and Chancellor of the university, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, appealed to governments at all levels to provide more funding to tertiary institutions.
For Abubakar, this is necessary to address the challenges facing the education sector. Vice Chancellor of UI, Prof Kayode Adebowale, said: “I passionately appeal to the President for special attention to be given to the UI in the form of dedicated reconstruction and rehabilitation funds, as well as increased allocation spread over time. As the oldest university and academic heritage of all Nigerians, UI should be given a special status, which comes with sufficient support and resources, to transform it into a world destination for academic and intellectual pilgrimage.”
