Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, on Monday in Abuja, inaugurated the governing councils of 13 federal universities in the country. He urged chairmen and members of the various councils to foster harmonious relationships while carrying out their duties in the next four years.
While admonishing council members and chairmen to respect the rule of law in the discharge of their duties while also respecting the rules of federal character in the appointment of officers, the minister also tasked the governing boards to block loopholes and come up with ideas that would shore up the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the universities.
According to him, the major areas of challenge are inadequate funding as well as judicious use of available resources. “So, let me advise you to come up with new creative ways to improve funding in your institutions. You will have to block the loopholes where the IGR slides away,” he said.
Adamu said that visitation panels would be visiting the universities in the next weeks while calling on the new council members to effectively cooperate with the panel so as to lay a good foundation, adding that the effort of the government was to improve Nigerian universities in the next four years, hence the appointment of tested and proven officers.
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, said the inauguration of the council members marks the beginning of a new phase in the introduction of the first 12 specialised universities.
Rasheed said the NUC was also inspired by the Map of 2018-2020 and has been committed to revitalising Nigeria’s university education through various measures which included immediate fostering of skills development and entrepreneurship as well as addressing inadequacies in facilities.
Responding, the representative of the newly appointed chairmen, Prof. Funmilayo Togonu-Bickersteth, said the council members look forward to cooperation from the Minister and NUC, especially in the provision of useful information. She pledged the best of the council members towards the advancement of the nation and mankind.
Universities with new governing councils are Federal University, Lokoja; Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State; Federal University Kashere, Gombe; and Federal University, Wukari, Taraba.
Others are Federal University, Dutsinma, Katsina State; Federal University, Jigawa; Ndufo Alike University, Ebonyi, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State; and Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa; Federal University, Birnin Kebbi; Federal University, Gusau, Zamfara; Federal University, Gashua, Yobe; and Federal University of Health Sciences.
