Babalakin Seeks Revitalisation of Nigerian Universities

The Pro-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr. Wale Babalakin, has called for immediate revitalisation of Nigerian universities, adding that Nigerian varsities cannot continue to be at best Number 800 in the world.

Babalakin said in the next five years, at least, one Nigerian university must be in the top 100.

The lawyer spoke at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) while chairing the Third Annual Registry Lecture Series, titled: “Public Service Rules And University Administration: Re-engineering For Excellence.”

Babalakin, who is also the Chairman of the Federal Government Renegotiation Committee with unions of Nigerian universities, said his committee had realised that for Nigeria to position itself as a leading nation, it must improve its educational system.

His words: “We have discovered that one of the challenges of the educational system in Nigeria is funding. We have also determined the average cost of funding every course. For example, this means that for UNILORIN with the population of 50,000 students, based on the average cost of N1.2 million required yearly per student, the university requires N60 billion per annum to reposition itself as a first rate university in the world. Where is this money going to come from?

“From my experience with various universities, all UNILORIN has today is government allocation to pay salaries; some insignificant figure for recurrent and capital expenditure – definitely less than N1 billion annually -; and TETFUND, which cannot afford to give the university N1 billion yearly. In total, you have about N12 billion and you require N60 billion, where will the difference come from?”

Explaining that various arguments have been put forward on where the difference should come from, the legal practitioner said: “A school of thought is that the money must come from government. Why not, if government can afford it? But if government cannot afford it, where will it come from? Our position, as negotiators for the government, is that somebody must pay – either government or someone else – but we are not willing to delay the revitalisation of Nigerian universities. We are not willing to be No. 800 in the world. In the next 5 years, one Nigerian university must be in the top 100. It will be a celebration, if there are many more. Our employers will decide where the money is going to come from but this is the volume of money required to revitalise universities.”