Yemi Osinbajo, the vice president of Nigeria, has urged the country’s universities to look into private funding as an alternative to government initiatives, claiming that doing so is essential to the viability of academic institutions.
On Tuesday, Mr. Osinbajo gave a speech at the official inauguration of the auditorium that the Kessington Adebukunola Adebutu Foundation donated to the Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Public Health, University of Ibadan.
The Vice President claims that the annual budget of the Nigerian government is insufficient to meet the country’s needs for national development, and he advises universities to “embark on aggressive marketing to meet their needs rather than blaming the government for all their shortfalls.”
While urging the department to conduct more research “that is in sync with the needs of relevant government agencies,” Mr. Osinbajo also praised the UI Department of Nutrition and Dietetics for its past contribution to the Nigerian food chain.
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State thanked the foundation for the donation on behalf of Olubanwo Adeosun, Secretary to the State Government, stating that Mr. Adebutu is “a philanthropic Nigerian who donates liberally irrespective of political or religious affiliations of the beneficiaries.”
Appreciation
By way of his administrative assistant, Ezekiel Ayoola, the university’s vice chancellor, Kayode Adebowale, thanked the donor organisation and assured them that the auditorium would be well used and maintained.
He stated that “at a time like this, when Federal Universities required all the help they could obtain from all angles,” the project was particularly essential and commendable.
Olayinka Omigbodun, provost of the College of Medicine, encouraged the government to “ease its policies, like the TSA, which are stifling research initiatives in the institutions” in her speech.
