Don Canvasses Adequate Funding Of Nigerian Varsities

Prof. Donatus
Owuamanam, Department of Guidance and Counseling, Ekiti State University, has called for adequate funding of Nigerian Universities to save students from time and funds wastage.
Owuamanam made the call in Aba in an interview with newsmen.
He noted that some of the challenges students in Nigerian universities faced could be reversed if funding of the universities improved.
Owuamanam said that students in Nigeria were given a short time to finish their programmes or have them lapsed because of lack of funds to take care of their supervision.
He said that unlike overseas where students may slip off their studies and return many years later to complete their programmes, Nigerian universities could not afford to do that due to lack of funds.
“A woman completed a programme abroad 34 years after she began the programme. Abroad they have the money to do that. When she comes up, she can continue with the research because the funds are available.
“But in Nigeria the funds are not there and in most universities, they will require you to pay for all those years just because the funding is not there,“ he said.
The Don said that lack of funding was also affecting quality research in Nigerian Universities that could be commercialised, hence private organisations’ unwillingness to support them.
Owuamanam said that industries no longer buy researches from universities because of their low quality.
He also lamented the dearth of quality lecturers because of the inability of universities to pay higher salaries.
Owuamanam called on the state and Federal Governments to increase the funding of Nigerian universities to make the sector vibrant and beneficial to all those who invested in it.