Siyan Oyeweso, a professor of History and International Studies at Osun State University, says strengthening of existing universities will greatly enhance their sustainability.

Oyeweso stated this during the Interdisciplinary Research Discourse organised by the Postgraduate College of University of Ibadan (UI) on Tuesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that the discourse, which was the college’s 80th, was titled: “Interrogating Issues in the Proliferation of Universities in Nigeria.”

Oyeweso in his submission said a committee of relevant stakeholders should be constituted to take a look at the already established universities now and to map the way forward.

He said Nigeria needed university which had a definitive academic calendar and sustainable funding.

“For any good university to be established, it must have a maturation period. It must grow under the already established good university.

“The law establishing Lagos State University (LASU) was passed in 1983 but the process started way back, from 1979 to 1981, and it did not commence academic activities until October 1984 and it was midwifed by the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

“University of Ibadan (UI) midwifed University of Ife, and what we now refer to as the University of Ilorin was midwifed also by the University of Ibadan.

”Also, the University of Jos was a campus of the University of Ibadan and the University of Calabar was a campus of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN),” the professor said.

He argued that there must be in place models, templates and financial sustainability programmes.

“In the case of Osun State University, there was the contract that we had with staff that we will have a moratorium of five years, that we will not be on any strike because we want to have a sustainable academic calendar.

“And we adopted Sept. 21 of every year as the Foundation Day. If you enter the Osun State University today we will give the date of your graduation and we have kept that faith and maintained that tradition till date,” Oyeweso said.

He urged the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of first generation universities to map out alternative sources of funding.

Oyeweso also cautioned government against granting licences for universities which would not survive.

Speaking on private universities, he said other private universities should copy the template of those that had been excelling and focus on solving societal challenges in order to be relevant.

“They should follow those private universities that are excelling in ranking and ground-breaking research,” Oyeweso said.

In his opening remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, said a nation could not grow beyond the state of its university system.

Adebowale who traced the history of the establishment of the first generation of universities in Nigeria said they were established based on research and the country’s needs at that time.

He noted that while there were 270 universities in Nigeria, it was alarming that this proliferation had not addressed critical factors that could solve the challenges of the nation.

”This is because their establishment was not sustainable, but merely political.

“The universities that are being set up now, I don’t know whether they were research-based or politically-motivated,” Adebowale said.

The vice-chancellor however commended the UI Postgraduate College for the Interdisciplinary Research Discourse.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria