By Emmanuel Edukugho
Crawford University’s second convocation last Friday at Igbesa, Ogun State, provided the platform for the Pro-chancellor, a seasoned university administrator, to look at the options for and against establishing six federal universities in the country.

Going by this development, access to university education has been enhanced as the six universities are expected to commence academic sessions in September 2011.
Public reactions are mixed.

While some are commending the decision because more admission spaces would be opened for qualified candidates, others are against it moreso when existing federal universities are decaying due to neglect, gross under-funding, inadequate facilities and lack of employment opportunities for graduates.

But Professor Peter Okebukola, former Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC) and now Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Crawford University, holds the view that establishing new federal universities and at the same time strengthening existing ones should both be implemented.

First Class Graduands with the Registrar, VC, Chancellor Akinkugbe, CON, Proprietor Adeniran and DVC Professor Fayose during the second convocation ceremony of Crawford University.

Speaking at the 2010 Graduation ceremony, he acknowledged that while some applaud the initiative as potent in opening up more admission spaces for eligible candidates, some others believe that it is not worthy fo cheer as existing federal universities are labouring under the load of inadequate facilities and inability to rise up to the challenge of delivering quality education.

“I hold the view that both approaches of establishing new federal universities and at the same time strengthening existing ones to expand access should be implemented. On the matter of strengthening existing federal universities, an annual grant of about N2 billion should be made to each of the universities (varied slightly to reflect age and programme spectrum) for facilities enhancement to expand their carrying capacities.”

He sid this money should be spent on new academic buildings, hostels and in infrastructure to accommodate an enrollment expansion of a minimum of 2,000 students for every year for the next 10 years.

In addition, an annual grant of N1 billion would need to be made to each university for recruitment of new staff and implementation of staff development programme that will ensure that the problem of staff shortage especially in academic category is mitigated.

“Through this arrangement, by 2020, additional 500,000 spaces would have been added to the federal university system. It is worthy of remark that in ten years, the six new federal universities that government intends to establish would add a maximum of 60,000 spaces to the national carrying capacity of the Nigerian university system if a maximum enrolment of 10,000 is projected per university,” he affirmed.

Okebukola gave three major reasons why the proposed six federal universities are important for the Nigerian university system.
These are:
*They will open up admission spaces for more candidates who otherwise would have to mark time awaiting the next opportunity to get placed in a university. The wait-time may be a year or several years.

*Equity demands that states not yet served by a federal university will have the opportunity of hosting one.

*The new federal universities will afford the nation an opportunity to set up what can be called “21st Century Universities” to be models for those on ground that are more or less glorified secondary schools when compared with universities in Europe, North America and in some countries in Africa such as South Africa and Botswana.

He added that, “While we at this venture of setting up new federal universities, we must make a bold attempt to shun all the pitfalls of existing federal universities that Visitation Panel Reports have revealed over the last 20 years.

The former NUC Executive Secretary then offered some suggestions to government. These included – that the laws setting up the new universities should be different from existing laws to take care of all identified weaknesses especially in the area of governance and financial management; programmes to be offered should respond to 21st century challenges and slanted to address national, regional and global problems and not the run-of-the-mill courses currently offered in many of our universities, the use of technology in teaching, learning and research should be accorded priority and staff who have no competency in the use of such technologies should have no employment place in the university.

Legal and other mechanisms should be installed to ensure that parochialism, ethnicity and sectionalism are not features of the universities. In many federal universities, non-indigenes cannot be VCs, Deans or Head of Department. Student enrolment should be for the academically able and in the right number to match available human and material resources.

This way, there will be quality teaching and learning while examination malpractice and cultism minimised or stamped out. Transparency, accountability and efficiency enthroned, learning environment friendly attracting students from all over the world.

A 5-yearly appraisal of the performance of such universities be conducted by an international panel. In the next 10 years, some of these new universities should be ranked among the top 10 in Africa in teaching, learning, research and community service.

A total of 160 graduating students from two colleges – the College of Natural and Applied Sciences having 55 graduands with five first class, 18 second class upper, 23 second class lower, eight third class and one pass. The College of Business and Social Sciences produced 105 graduates with six in first class, 34 in second class upper, 49 in second class lower, 15 third class and one pass.

Professor Samson Ayanlaja, Vice-Chancellor, Crawford University, barely one month in office, said in his address, that the new graduates had been imbued with knowledge and Godliness, and consequently in their psyche, all elements of corruption have been deleted and purged by the “washing of the water by the word.”

“These new breeds of rebranded young leaders can, with skill, kick-start industrial revolution and with righteousness, catalyse  positive shift in behavioural paradigm among Nigeria workforce.”

He told the audience at the ceremony that the graduating students have been provided a firm springboard on which to leap to greater height since “righteousness exalts a nation,” having attended 216 Sunday School Lessons, with 216 Bible Studies, 432 Services and 216 AVS meetings where righteousness and source of true wisdom had been expounded to them.

“Your graduation today is a validation and actualisation of Crawford University’s competing core objective of releasing only those possessing unique virtue of sterling moral that is above any reproach and whose integrity, honesty, forthrightness can be vouched for.”

Ayanlaja disclosed that all the 15 programmes have been accredited to run by the NUC, and similarly, the Geology and Mineral Sciences were fully endorsed by the professional body.