Nigerians need good governance, not palliatives – ex-UNIOSUN VC
Nigerians need good governance, not palliatives – ex-UNIOSUN VC
The President, Nigerian Academy of Letters, Prof. Sola Akinrinade, has said Nigerians do not need palliatives like the ones governments have been providing to cushion the effects of the harsh economy on them.
The pioneer Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University, Osogbo, however, said what the people were yearning for was good governance that would enable better living standards for the populace.
Akinrinade stated this on Thursday while delivering a lecture at the grand finale of the 12th and 13th convocation of UNIOSUN at the main campus of the university in Osogbo, the state capital, on the theme, ‘The universality of the university system: A case for functional university education in Nigeria.’
The university don, who advised governments to allow the prescribed autonomous governance structures for universities, as enshrined in their establishment laws to function, added that governments must also make resources available, noting that the provision of good university education would cost money.
He further said, “What we (Nigerians) need is not palliatives but good governance. Bring down the cost of living. Create an enabling environment for people. People should be taught how to solve their problems.
“Our governments should permit the functioning of the prescribed autonomous governance structures as enshrined in the establishment laws of these institutions. In addition, the government should make resources available as the provision of a good university education costs money.
“Government, particularly at the federal level, should come up with a firm position on funding and cost-sharing in the universities. If each university is truly autonomous, many of these issues would not even come up.”
In his address, the Chancellor of the university, Dr. Folorunso Alakija, disclosed that work has been completed on the teaching hospital donated by her to the institution, attributing the delay to the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Addressing the gathering, Vice Chancellor, UNIOSUN, Prof. Clement Adebooye, said the institution had in the last year recorded monumental achievements in students-related activities, personnel, and physical and infrastructural developments.
Adebooye, who charged the graduating students to put to use all they have been taught, also stated that five staff members of the university who have distinguished themselves in bringing research grants have been selected for the Research Excellence Award.
Credit: Punch Newspaper
