Fashola Proposes University Consultancy Services, Data Provision, Poll Results, Value Data, Printing Press for Tertiary Institutions as Alternative Sources of Funding

Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN
Hon. Minister, Works & Housing Dev.

"Tertiary Education is on the concurrent list, meaning that the States and Federal Governments can fund education in the country." Fashola.

"There has to be a sustainable funding of tertiary education. We cannot continue with with the current system because it is not working and not sustainable." Mr. Benjamin Akabueze DG, Budget Office of the Federation.

The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN said, "University Consultancy Services, Data Provision, Poll Results, Value Data, Printing Press are value proposals for Tertiary Institutions." 

The Minister made the above remarks  as a panelist at an event organised by Nigeria’s House of Representatives on Tuesday, November 22, 2022, held at a National Summit in Abuja on tertiary education with a view to providing solutions to challenges facing the sector with a theme "Re-imagining Tertiary Education in Nigeria: Issues, Challenges and Solutions."

Fashola also said "employees of government owned institutions who want to be autonomous, is a big issue."

He said Tertiary Education is on the concurrent list, meaning that the States and Federal Governments can fund education in the country.

1st Left: Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN in an interactive session with other participants at the National Summit on Tertiary Education Reform, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Conference Room, Abuja on Tuesday, November 22, 2022.

Director General, Budget Office of the Federation, Mr. Benjamin Akabueze while making his remarks, said: "There has to be a sustainable funding of tertiary education. We cannot continue with with the current system because it is not working and not sustainable."

Professor (Mrs.) Uduak Ekpo of the Department of Education Administration & Planning, University of Calabar remarked at the event, "Budget and allocation for tertiary education should go up instead of going down. Nigeria's education budget remains among the poorest in Africa." 

She said if lecturers run away from their core mandate of academics excellence through research and teaching and go into business, funding of university, education will suffer.

According to Professor Irene Agunloye, the Director, Centre for Gender and Women Studies University of Jos, in her remarks, said that "Education is a commodity and if you do not build the capacity of people in academics there will not be  headway." 

She advised that some instituions  should be made research universities in order to generate more fund.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer Channels Media Group, Dr. John Momoh stated that, "There is need for the Academic Staff Union of Universities and Federal Government to come to agreement till both sides are happy with the negotiation." 

Momoh also said that universities should look for a way of generating fund from alumni and to also look for a way of outsourcing of assets of universities in order to improve funding.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) led by its current President, Emmanuel Osodeke said; “The level of poverty in Nigeria would not allow  Nigerian students  to pay increased tutition fees.