A former Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, has urged the Federal Government to halt the establishment of new universities until existing ones are adequately funded and equipped.
Delivering a lecture at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof Adewole warned that unchecked expansion had left Nigerian institutions struggling with weak infrastructure, poor funding and inadequate staff welfare. He noted that the University of Cairo alone has six times the student population of the University of Ibadan, yet functions with stronger systems and facilities.
“The National Universities Commission should restrict itself to accreditation and quality assurance. Autonomy must be total in words, spirit and action,” he said to loud applause. Adewole lamented that the highest-paid professor in Nigeria earns less than $500 a month, a salary that cannot sustain a middle-class lifestyle. He added that most universities lack essential laboratories, libraries and high-speed internet, while many internally generated revenue ventures remain dormant. He also criticised the politicisation of vice-chancellor appointments, calling for a transparent, merit-driven process and better orientation for new appointees. “Unless governments depoliticise education and restore proper funding. Nigeria’s universities cannot compete globally,” he concluded,
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