The Vice-Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede has called for more funding for Nigerian Universities.
Professor Ogunbodede made the call in Lagos during the Formal Launching of the Great Ife Advancement Foundation and conferment of awards in celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the School.
Ogunbodede in his address pointed out that poor funding has been the major challenge facing the running of universities in the country especially in carrying out research and other programmes that are important to academic success.
According to him, government subvention has not been adequate enough to run the universities in the country hence the need for every school to source for funds to ensure that schools are sustained and brought to a standard.
He said that research programmes have been sustained through University Alumni who had been supporting various projects and programmes. he therefore called for more support and interventions from the government and well meaning Nigerians to help sustain the legacy of the great Ife.
”The University Alumni have been of great assistance in supporting various projects and programmes in the university and we are immensely grateful. However, we are constrained to ask for more interventions and support in the face of inadequate and dwindling resources from the government. The legacy of great Ife must be sustained. Support our endowment and other issues that are very germane to academic success,” he added.
Nation Building
The Chairman of Platform Capital Group, Dr. Akintoye Akindele said that nation building should not be left for the government alone calling all hands to be on deck in building the country and universities of their dreams.
”I believe and have always said that nation building is everybody’s job. We have Alumni gather together to go and support their university, its a major step. We cannot expect the government to do everything. We’re debtors to Nigeria because the Nigerian educational system trained us. We are at the new dawn where Alumni start giving back to their universities to support government efforts so that collectively, we can make Nigeria great.” he said.
Conferment of awards to the Minister of Information and culture, Lai Mohammed and other outstanding Nigerians who have contributed immensely to the growth of the great Ife university was the highlight of the event.
