Nigerians Spends N1trn Yearly For Their Wards Studying In Foreign Universities – Ex-Vice Chancellor UNILAG
By Wisdom Peter,
Report reaching Brainnewsradio has it that, a former Vice Chancellor of The University of Lagos, Prof. Oye Ibidapo-Obe, on Wednesday while giving his speech at the 10th Convocation of Crawford University, Igbesa, Ogun, revealed that Nigerians were spending a whooping N1 trillion annually to pursue university education abroad.
Ibidapo-Obe who is the New Pro Chancellor to the Private church owned University as established by the Apostolic Faith Mission in 2005 said according to report from The Nigerian Television Authority, that it
was pertinent for the country to look into how education policy makers would encourage private universities to bring out their best.
“The advent of private universities in our nation some 20 years ago opens to us great possibility of
providing greater and even more qualitative access to higher education,” he said.
“With the recent, very encouraging development from these new entrants, we can see that we are entering into a new era of quite exciting competition between the private higher education providers and the public institutions.
“With this scenario, the most discerning of the education policy-makers should reason that private varsities need to be encouraged to bring out their best in this regards.
“In addition, this move by government will make these private universities more efficient and attractive to
Nigerians that are annually sending their wards to foreign universities at the cost of N1 trillion every year.”
The Professor continued, stating that suggestions have been made by most of them that the Federal Government should establish an Education Bank that will help to provide credit at a single digit interest to encourage excellence, however that, setting up the infrastructure for this may take a little time, government can utilise the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).
According to him, “Many have argued that using some competitive criteria that will test their degree of compliance to certain standards, winners can be singled out and given supervised grants to carry out particular projects.
“The news of such development will help to bring the particular institution to public view and the entire private providers to the limelight”
Prof. Ibidapo-Obe also noted that implementing this kind of policy will help to bring greater competition and efficiency across the two camps of public and private-funded universities.
According to The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the university at its 10th Convocation graduated 304 graduands from its Colleges of Business and Social Services as well as Natural and Applied Sciences, and Nine percent of the graduands made first class, 39 per cent made second class upper division, 42 per cent came out with second class lower division and 28 per cent in the other categories.
Vice Chancellor of The University, Prof Rotimi Ajayi, spoke, saying that the 10th convocation was a harvest time to recount past successes by the university.
As transcribed by NTA, Ajayi said, “Today’’s convocation is unique. It is a special harvest time that calls for celebration as harvest in any culture and a time of joy at the maturation of seeds.
“The convocation marks a decade of continuous success in the fulfillment of the mandate of the university and also historic as our School of Part-Time Studies is presenting its pioneer students.
“Like their name Unicorns, these critical change-makers have over the course of their tutelage in the university been taken through their necessary paces and have been found to be thoroughly grounded.
He added that,“In line with the dreams of the founding fathers, they have been dully exposed to the nurture and admonitions of the word of God.”
The report also notes that the attendance of founding Vice Chancellor, Prof. Moses Ige and Prof. Samson Ayanlaja, who are the past two vice-chancellors who have nurtured Crawford University from its cradle to its present height were recognised by presenting them plaques.
