The Chairman , Governing Council of University
of Lagos , Dr . Wale Babalakin (SAN ) , has called
on Nigerians to stop establishing universities
and other tertiary institutions that they cannot
provide with adequate funding.
Babalakin made this call in a keynote address
he delivered in Ede , Osun State , on Monday at
the opening of a retreat organised by the Osun
State University for members of the Governing
Council and management .
Speaking on the theme, University governance
in the 21 st century and beyond , the Senior
Advocate of Nigeria stated that there was an
urgent need to stop establishing public or
private universities that the proprietors neither
had the capacity nor will to fund properly
because of the negative impact on
competitiveness.
He said it was unfortunate that no Nigerian
university , was favourably rated by any of the
rating agencies .
Babalakin said it was a shame that the most
outstanding university in the country was rated
number 800 in the world , while none was
ranked among the best 20 in Africa .
He also noted that a former Vice Chancellor of
the University of Ilorin , Prof . Olu Akinkugbe ,
had mentioned , during a recent television
programme , that the University College
Hospital , Ibadan , was once rated as the fourth
in ranking among medical institutions in the
Commonwealth , in a list that comprised the
United Kingdom , Canada and Australia among
other big developed nations .
However , he expressed the opinion that
Nigerian universities and other tertiary
institutions could attain such height with
proper planning , adequate funding and
dedication , stressing that the emancipation of
Nigeria would be led by the reformation of its
education sector . He said , “ A plethora of
universities have sprung up in recent times .
The Federal Government has created a number
of universities . Almost all the states in Nigeria
have their own universities . Many private
concerns have also established universities .
“ In setting up these universities , I hope that
these various bodies have a fair idea of the cost
of running them. According to the Academic
Staff Union of Universities quoting a National
University Council source , the average cost of
achieving full accreditation for universities
programmes in Nigeria is $ 3 , 000 , which is
above N1 m today . In effect , a University with a
student population of , for example 5000
students , should have N1 m x 5000 , that is
N5 bn , as its resource base for running he
university . ”
Source... Punch
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