A former vice chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Oye Ibidapo-Obe, has denied allegations that Nigerian Varsities are now business outlets.
Ibidapo-Obe stated this while reacting to a statement by the Vice Chancellor of the Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola, Adamawa State, Prof. Mohammed Kyari, that Nigerian universities have become business outlets.
The former UNILAG VC argued that the current situation in universities across the country had been misconstrued and misunderstood.
He explained that what seemed like a commercialised atmosphere were set policies to serve the publics of the schools when they were on visit to the campuses.
Ibidapo-Obe said, ”We are not business outlets, all the things you see on some campuses that appear to you as business are not really business. Sometimes, in an environment that is secure, safe and neat, you need to introduce certain policies. For example, assuming there is no particular place that visitors could park and anybody could park anywhere. The school needs to provide that.
“You can imagine the kiosk at university of Lagos, even at university of Ibadan or University of Ife, I don’t think they are business outlets, and there is a caution,” the don revealed.
The ex-VC also pointed out the importance of school canteens, arguing that they were not business outlets as being
misconstrued.
“With the introduction of private feeding, the students need where they can go and eat and that’s the canteen. During our own time, the school takes care of everything. I know there could be excesses, if you are talking about excesses, there are some excesses, and there should be regulation to ensure things are properly done,” he
said.
On the standard of education in Nigeria, the ex-VC stated that there was no justification to back up the claim that the sector was lagging
behind.
“It is a difficult thing to say that our standard is lowered. We might say our education here is dropping, but I cannot justify it because I am a statistician, and an engineer, as well. These same students will graduate from here with low grades and they will become super stars in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and China, as well. The only place I have not seen Nigerian superstars is in India; may be they have better superstars there. But in china, you see Nigerians; they are doing excellently well,” he said.
