Poor fund management bane of education in Nigeria – minister
By Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu on Monday said poor management of funds has remained a major operational constraint in the education sector, particularly in the delivery of tertiary education.
Adamu said this in Abuja when he inaugurated the governing council of five federal universities.
The minister noted that funds made available by the government to universities were limited, and therefore, tasked the newly inaugurated councils to ensure that available funds are judiciously utilised.
The affected universities are University of Lagos, University of Port Harcourt, University of Ibadan, Maritime University Okerenkoko and the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife.
The minister who was represented by the permanent secretary of the ministry, Sonny Echono also observed that the government alone cannot provide all the funds required to run universities. He tasked the councils to endeavour to generate revenue outside government allocations.
Adamu also charged the councils to effectively co-operate with the visitation panels that have just been sent to their universities, whose primary aim is to examine the challenges confronting each university, probe their finances and make appropriate recommendations.
He further tasked them to adopt best practices and comply with statutory guidelines in the performance of their supervisory functions, noting that failure to do so could attract dissolution.
“The councils must ensure that proper attention and priority is accorded to relevant university laws and government guidelines in the process of such appointments.
Governing councils must ensure that transparency, probity and due process are followed in the selection and appointment processes to ensure the emergence of the best candidates for these positions”, the minister said.
Earlier, the executive secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Abubakar Rasheed said the inauguration of the councils signalled a new beginning in the sector.
He said the commission has been committed to the task of rapid revitalisation of university education in Nigeria through a number of carefully spelt out programmes and activities.