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| Professor Attahiru Jega |
Professor Attahiru Jega, former
chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has criticized
the trend where universities engage in bread and sachet water production to
generate funds.
TheCable
report continues:
Speaking
at an education summit in Abuja on Monday, Jega, who is the pro-chancellor,
Plateau State University, Bokkos, said it is unhealthy for universities to be
struggling to generate funds to carry out their mandates.
He
advised government to re-arrange its priorities so that it can recognize the
importance of education and provide commensurate funding to universities.
“Putting
universities in such a dire situation where they have to be doing things like
producing and selling sachet water is sad; frankly, it is not the business of
universities,” he said.
“We
want young unemployed youths to be involved in such entrepreneurial activities
to generate income for themselves and to build businesses.
“For
a university to become in dire and desperate need for money as to bake bread
and produce sachet water is unwholesome and needs to be discouraged.
“Government
needs to provide sufficient funding to universities.”
He
added that universities were in the business of knowledge production, and
should strive to produce patents or prototypes, which they could engage
Nigerian industries to manufacture.
The
former president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) also said
there was need for the management higher institutions to have an inclusive and
transparent process of managing resources.
He
said for strikes to be avoided, there should be mutual respect between the
federal government and the unions.
“It is important for government to bend over backwards and it is important for unions to be realistic in their demands in order to find solutions,” he said.
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