● Abubakar Ojima-Ojo
Abuja – The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Is-haq Oloyede, has called for a restructuring of Nigeria’s university funding system, proposing that the National Universities Commission (NUC) take full control of budgetary allocations for public tertiary institutions.
Speaking to journalists, Prof. Oloyede, a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, argued that universities should not have to individually lobby the National Assembly for funding. He criticized the current system, where institutions defend their budgets before lawmakers, often relying on political connections rather than objective financial assessments.
“We need to rethink our funding mechanism. The National Universities Commission (NUC) should be solely responsible for managing university budgets and held accountable for their financial administration,” he said.
Reflecting on his tenure as chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors, Oloyede noted that universities functioned more efficiently when the NUC managed their budgets. He advocated a return to this model, emphasizing that funding should be allocated based on student enrolment and academic requirements rather than political considerations.
“If the NUC is in charge, universities will receive funding based on actual costs of training students in various disciplines. For example, if the University of Abuja is producing a specific number of medical doctors, the budget should be determined by the cost of training each doctor,” he explained.
Prof. Oloyede also cautioned against the proliferation of new universities, urging the government to focus on strengthening existing institutions instead. He criticized the practice of establishing universities for political reasons rather than investing in industries that drive economic growth.
“When the NUC was in charge, capital development funding was substantial, but now, it has dwindled because universities have excessive support staff,” he noted.
His remarks have reignited discussions on university autonomy and funding in Nigeria. Whether the government will adopt his proposal remains to be seen. GMTNewsng
