FG Should Revisit University Autonomy Act- Prof. Julius Okojie
The former Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Prof. Julius Okojie, on Thursday 9 November, urged the Federal Government to revisit the Autonomy Act and consider granting Nigerian universities full financial autonomy for optimum performance.
In his words, ‘’I served as a member of the University Autonomy Committees in 2001 as the Chairman, Committee of Vice-Chancellors. In the final analysis, the universities had partial autonomy. They were given administrative autonomy but not financial autonomy. If universities want true autonomy, the Act should be revisited.”
Speaking on the theme, ‘The Nigerian Education System at a Crossroads,’ during the third convocation of KolaDaisi University, Ibadan, Oyo State, held at the Agbeke Memorial Hall of the university, Okojie suggested that the public universities should act as enterprises.
He, however, noted that they should generate funds in agreement with the government policies while stretching hands of cooperation to the private sector for effective collaboration in research and services provision.
The former NUC boss condemned the domination of university councils by politicians, saying, “The councils of universities should not be dominated by political stalwarts who are professional politicians. They should be respectable and knowledgeable in the major programmes of the university.
‘’The role played by politics, religion and ethnicity are destroying our universities. Our universities are not productive. They should be challenged with national problems on environment, climate change, economic development, relevant research and inventions and so on, and be positively involved in national discuss.”
He said research institutes should be encouraged to work with the universities in the innovation and development endeavours of the nation.
Source: The Punchng
