Aare Afe Babalola, Founder/Chancellor Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti in Ekiti, says there has been underfunding of tertiary institutions in the country.
According to him, there has been perennial failure to prioritise and devote significant resources to education.
Babalola expressed his views in Lagos on Thursday, at the public presentation of “Issues in Fourth and Fifth Estates of the Realm, (FESTCHRIFT on Professor Ralph Afolabi Akinfeleye)”.
The one-time Pro-Chancellor, University of Lagos, was Chairman of the occasion.
Babalola, who was represented by Chief Gboyega Oyewole (SAN), said the country’s institutions of higher learning, especially the universities, were barely carrying out their core mandates.
He noted that they did not have the financial wherewithal to compete with their peers globally.
The chancellor said that with many of these universities struggling to meet their overhead cost, having significant net annual income remained a far cry.
Babalola said there was an urgent need for governments across board to inject financial stimulus to all the country’s institutions of higher learning.
This, he said, was to make them financially equipped and self sufficient.
“Despite the perennial rhetorics by successive governments on their plans to build world-class universities in Nigeria, they have consistently failed to meet the UNESCO funding benchmark of 26 per cent of every country’s budget.
“I am therefore using this opportunity to appeal to the Federal Government to pay all outstanding salaries to university teachers and fund education adequately,
“It is only when education is adequately funded that universities will be able to perform their statutory functions of quality teaching, up-to-date research and impact their community,” he stated.
On the book presentation, Babalola lauded Akinfeleye, noting that the Professor of Mass Communication was a firm believer in quality and functional education.
He noted that Akinfeleye’s unwavering legacy of discipline, courtesy, decency, eloquence and respect had endeared him to the academia in the media industry and the public at large.
The chancellor also lauded contributors to the book for the excellent work, putting their thoughts and experiences together for the advantage of all, particularly those in the media industry.
“I want to urge everyone present to support this lofty initiative by ensuring that they get copies of this book, through generous donation.
“On my part. I shall be taking a total of 50 copies, among which 10 will be donated to Afe Babalola University, another 10 for the University of Lagos,10 to the University of Ibadan and five copes each to my chambers in Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt,” he said.
Earlier in his opening remark, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, noted that Akinfeleye retired meritoriously from the institution a few years ago, leaving behind a legacy worth emulating.
Ogundipe was represented by the institution’s Deputy Vice Chancellor, (Management) Prof. Obinna Chukwu.
According to him, Akinfeleye had paid his dues, being one of the pillars that nurtured the institution’s Mass Communication department and had taken it to the global arena.
“We will continue to honour him for the great things he has done in the university, especially in the mass communication department.
“Of note is the fact that he initiated the World Bank Centre of Excellence in Multimedia and Cinematography and ensured that it kicked off properly.
“He is also behind the establishment of the first university radio and television in Nigeria here in our institution and therefore, we have every reason to be happy and join him today in celebrating his achievements,” Ogundipe said.
He said that what the National Universities Commission (NUC) was bringing to the fore, in terms of unbundling the Mass Communication departments of universities, was already being processed in the institution.