Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Kadir Obafemi Hamzat, has advocated for proper funding of higher education in Nigeria and the need for inclusivity through stakeholders’ collaboration, saying that for a country like Nigeria to be great, it was imperative to invest in her universities, which are the only place where ideas and innovation can come up.
Hamzat stated this while receiving the Chairman and Members of the University of Ibadan 75th Anniversary Committee, who paid a courtesy visit to him at his office, Roundhouse, Alausa, Ikeja, noting that there was an urgent need to invest in the country’s universities, which are the best places for innovation.
He said there was a need for every stakeholder, including the government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), among others, to be realistic “in our approach to the issues at stake because it is the only way we can turn this country around as expected.”
Dr Hamzat buttressed this, citing the experience during the period of late Obafemi Awolowo, where the majority of the people, including professors among others, who came up with the ideas for all they did as government were from the universities.
This was just as he noted that the idea that the government alone can fund universities in a country of over 200 million people doesn’t seem realistic, stating that every citizen must participate in its development and growth.
“By helping the Universities, we are also helping the country.
“All of us must come together to build the universities in our country because, for me, universities are the only institution where almost everybody is getting developmental education,” he said.
Citing examples of the issues in the Niger Republic, the deputy governor was of the view that it was not only government that could be involved in solving problems, noting that the people that went there were not government officials but prominent Nigerians.
According to him, those involved have been engaging the military men in discussion and were almost successful in resolving the issues amicably.
Hamzat, while lauding the University of Ibadan for its achievements so far, noted that the university had grown tremendously without any signs of deterioration, charging the institution to do more work in the area of technology development as, according to him, the world is taken over by technology.
Speaking earlier, UI Vice Chancellor, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, said that the university, after careful consideration, decided that the Deputy Governor be designated as the University of Ibadan @ 75 Ambassador.
Prof. Adebowale stated that the government alone cannot finance universities in the country and that there is a need to involve alumni in the development of higher education.
He pointed out the need to involve the alumni members in the development programmes appealed by the university, calling on everyone who had passed through the university to join hands with the institution in their bid to expand and equip it with modern infrastructure and equipment needed for research and teaching in line with the current global best practises.
“We must join hands together to ensure that we provide awards for students that perform exceptionally in their areas of discipline and for the indigent ones who may lack the financial wherewithal to pursue their academic dreams,” he said.
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