The Vice Chancellor of Federal University Kashere, Gombe State, Prof. Umaru Pate, has lamented the state of universities in Nigeria, saying that institutions that close down their laboratories and libraries after official working hours are not designed to be great.
Speaking on the Good Morning Nigeria program on NTA on Thursday, Pate emphasised the importance of functional laboratories and libraries in universities, stating that they should ideally remain open 24 hours a day.
The VC however noted that this is not currently possible in Nigeria due to challenges such as lack of electricity and strikes.
Pate stressed the role of universities as engines of innovation globally, questioning whether Nigeria is prepared to harness this potential.
“Laboratories and libraries are supposed to remain open 24 hours, but you know that we cannot do that in Nigeria. Universities today are becoming engines of innovation globally. Whether we are prepared for that is a question,” he said.
Pate also identified key areas that universities must focus on to succeed which include academic and physical development, funding, staff and students’ welfare, quality assurance, town and gown relationship, ICT development, and leadership as critical areas.
He emphasised that the quality of staff is the most important element in a university, saying, “You don’t go to a university simply because there’s a huge building or a very beautiful structure there.
“But you go to a university because of the quality and competence of the staff who are in that particular system.”
“Now, in a situation where the number of staff available is either depleting, non-available, or the training level is weak, then definitely there will be a major gap.
“And that will translate into the quality assurance of the program that you’re offering. And when you’re talking about quality, you’re talking about the quality of the type of staff you have offering the teaching; either teaching or non-teaching services,” he said.
He also stressed the need for universities to have autonomy, particularly in determining leadership, to ensure that the most qualified candidates are appointed.
“University is not about buildings. University is about the quality of the people who run it… where you have a vice chancellor or a council whose vision and mission hardly aligns with the system of running a quality university, there will be a problem.
“Where the vision of the leadership does not align with the national realities and contemporary evolving issues globally, there will be a problem.
“And even within the university, where you have local leadership, like the head of department, faculty officers, and all of that, where they are busy fighting themselves, causing a crisis over nothing.
“And then at the end of the day, instead of the university to align and address its mandate, you have people factionalizing themselves, fighting over local leadership, fighting who will be a vice chancellor, who will be this, who will be that. Then the energy of the entire system is wasted,” he said.
Pate noted that external pressures and interference can undermine the quality of leadership and the overall performance of universities.
He further stressed that universities also should prioritise staff and students’ welfare, quality assurance, and town and gown relationships, to thrive.
