Don advocates reimagining of Nigerian Universities, decries poor funding

By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja
A professor of Political Science and former Vice Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akoko Akungba, Prof. Nahzeem Olufemi Mimiko, has advocated reimagining as the only way to overcome challenges bedeviling Nigerian universities.

He said that reimagining was requisite to make the institutions to be competitive, and capable of driving wholesome national development

Prof. Mimiko made the remarks in a lecture at the 8th Convocation Lecture of Federal University Lokoja (FUL) on the the topic: “Reimaging Nigeria’s (University) Education For Wholesome National Development” held at Felele Campus, Lokoja.

He also identified poor funding and corruption in the system as some of the major obstacles to the nation’s university education system

Mimiko noted that corruption has assumed endemic proportion requiring reimaging, radical rethink to reposition Nigeria’s university education system away from the negative status quo.

The foremost Nigeria. Educational Administrator and the only Vice Chancellor delegate at the National Conference in Nigeria held in 2014 under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan decried what he called mediocre level of funding of universities in Nigeria.

According to him Nigeria remains one of the countries in the world that are yet to meet the UNESCO-recommended threshold for education funding, at 15 to 20 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (UNESCO, 2015)”

Prof. Mimiko noted that physical facilities for teaching and learning in the Nigeria’s tertiary education were inadequate, dilapidated, overstretched/overcrowded and improvised.

The Professor of Political Science and International Relations reiterated his stance that the dearth of basic learning resources could equally be attributed to corruption adding that majority of the universities in the country were grossly understaffed.

“I reference corruption here not just in the narrow sense as financial corruption, but also reflected in inanities like provincialism; and cultivation of crop of indolent staff.

“The only way to overcome challenges bedeviling Nigerian universities is the reimagining requisite for making these institutions to be competitive, and capable of driving wholesome national development”

Comparing university education with that of Polytechnic, Professor Mimiko recommended that university education in Nigeria should remain focused on the more conceptual dimension of the knowledge enterprise.

He said that technical education as being administered by polytechnics should be devoted to producing middle level manpower in technical competencies.

Prof. Mimiko also maintained that the nation must adopt learning and teaching in local languages for it to grow and develop adding that teaching in the local languages remain the panacea.

He stated that the nation’s present educational system where learning is done in foreign languages was counterproductive urging Nigeria to take a cue from China, India, Japan among others that teach in their local languages.

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of Federal University, Lokoja, Professor Olayemi Akinwumi said that the lecture is geared towards providing intellectual discuss and described the guest lecturer as erudite scholar who knows his onions.

“We are committed to celebrating our academic excellence as the topic of the lecture is very relevant to our future career and guidance

“The lecture no doubt will contribute immensely to Nigeria’s educational and economic landscape” Professor Olayemi Akinwumi said. (Ends)