Tertiary School Administrators Solicit More Funding for Nigerian Universities

Linus Aleke in Abuja

Tertiary school administrators operating under the umbrella of the Association of Bursars of Nigerian Universities (ABNU) have called for more funding for universities in the country.

They also lamented that Nigeria is still lagging behind UNESCO’s minimum funding threshold of 15 percent of budgetary allocation to education.

Speaking at the unveiling and official launch of the association’s official magazine, “The University Exchequer,” in Abuja, the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Sir Monday Onyeme, called for a mixed model of funding for universities and also demanded tax exemption for the education sector in the country.

He noted the rising enrollment of students annually overstretch the meagre resources accruing to the universities.

Onyeme, a former Bursar of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), said lack of funds has led to frequent industrial actions either by the academic staff or the non-academic staff or both.

He stressed that this is why students prefer private universities because they can predict their graduation time, as opposed to the situation in public universities where timelines are uncertain due to industrial actions.

Poor funding, he said, has led to very poor research outcome, stating that when research is not well-funded, the outcome will also be poor.

He stressed that the absence of funds for proper maintenance of existing infrastructure has led to infrastructural decay on most university campuses.

To address this, the deputy governor advocated a mixed funding model, stressing that today’s bursars are not mere administrators but must become visionaries of financial transformation.

According to him, “If you go to some universities, you will see some old infrastructures that are decayed and abandoned because resources are unavailable to sustain or maintain them.

“The solution to this is a mixed funding model; we do not want to depend on just one source of income. We must be able to have the capacity to look at all the various sources of funding and put up a mixed model that suits a particular institution.

“We must transition to a mixed funding model, a strategic blend of transitional and innovative revenue streams tailored to each university’s context. It is a paradigm shift we must embrace.

“First, we must pressure the government to increase funding to universities to at least meet the UNESCO minimum standard. We should not get tired of pressuring the government, especially the National Assembly, so that the minimum benchmark of at least 15 percent is met.”

Former Vice Chancellor of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Prof. Muhammad Akaro Mainoma, called on the government to make all education matters tax-free, noting: “that will solve the issue of tax taking part of the government intervention funds to the universities.”

In her welcome remarks, the Chairman of the Association, Dr. Hadiza Goje, said that bursars are custodians of trust.

She likened the role of bursars in the university to the role of an engine in a car, saying, “No matter how beautiful a car is, if the engine is faulty, then the car cannot move.”