The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on University Education, Hon. Abubakar Hassan Fulata has called on the management of Nigerian universities to utilise various sources of internally generated revenue in order to make the universities self sufficient.
Hon. Fulata who made the appeal following his committee’s visit to the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Federal University Oye Ekiti (FUOYE) and Adeyemi Federal University of Education Ondo (AFUE) said various universities in the country through research can come up with patents for the purpose of invention.
He said there should be synergy between the universities and industrialists as well as relevant stakeholders for the purpose of invention and development.
Fulata said while it is the duty of the government to fund the universities, the management of the universities has the duty to properly utulise different sources of internally generated revenue for proper funding. According to him, the desired result will not be achieved if the burden of funding of universities and other tertiary institutions is left in the hand of the government alone.
Meanwhile, the Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology Akure has sought the intervention of National Assembly and relevant stakeholders in order to generate its own electricity for the school and its environ.
The first female Vice Chancellor of FUTA, Prof. Adenike Temidayo Oladiji, said power supply has become one of the major problems in recent times. She thanked the Fulata-led Committee for the advocacy resulting into the approval of 50% electricity subsidy for tertiary institutions and hospitals. She commended President Bola Tinubu for yielding to the call and giving approval for the subsidy.
Prof. Oladiji said the university can build power plant that cannot only supply electricity to the FUTÀ campuses but can also supply power to different communities. She said intervention of government is seriously needed in terms of funding as it is capital intensive.
Similarly, the acting Vice Chancellor of Adeyemi Federal University of Education Ondo, Ondo State, Dr. Samuel Akintunde said the school was recently converted from college of education to university and is in need of structures
He sought the assistance of the legislators in order address the challenge of infrastructure and proper funding of the universities.
In the same vein, the Vice Chancellor of Federal University Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State, Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina drew the attention of the House Committee on University Education to the numerous challenges of the school and the need to tackle them.
Fasina said the FUOYE has two campuses but there is difficulty in building structures for faculties and departments due to fund.
He also said despite presidential directive that universities and other tertiary institutions be removed from IPPIS, they are still operating under it. He sought the committee’s intervention for full compliance with the directive.