…Advocates Full Autonomy for Effective Performance
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has raised concerns over the ongoing energy crisis in Nigerian universities, exacerbated by rising electricity tariffs. The agency has pledged to intervene and provide solutions to ensure stable power supply in higher institutions.
Speaking on the issue, TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Sonny Echono, emphasized the organization’s commitment to enhancing research infrastructure.
“We will ensure that our research centres are of the highest standard, eliminating the need to send research samples abroad. Our goal is to improve the capacity of our institutions, transform them into centres of excellence, boost their global rankings, and make our students more competitive internationally,” he said.
Addressing concerns about the increasing number of higher institutions, Echono defended the government’s decision to establish more universities. He pointed out that with over two million candidates applying for tertiary education each year, but only about 600,000 gaining admission due to capacity constraints, expanding access to education remains essential.
Meanwhile, Echono has strongly advocated for full autonomy in Nigerian universities to enhance operational efficiency and academic excellence. He made this call while delivering the ninth convocation lecture at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE).
In his lecture, titled “University Autonomy and the Challenges of Quality Tertiary Education in Nigeria,” he argued that granting universities financial, administrative, and academic independence would enable them to generate innovative solutions to national challenges and compete globally.
He stressed that institutions should have the authority to set their own tuition fees and explore commercial ventures to ensure financial sustainability.
“Autonomy will enable universities to expand their infrastructure through partnerships with industries, alumni, and research institutions. It will also open doors for global collaborations, joint research initiatives, and student exchange programs, making our institutions more competitive on the world stage,” he explained.
Echono called for stakeholders to support full autonomy beyond federal universities, urging state governments to align with the provisions in the federal law to create a uniform and efficient tertiary education system.
“Unfortunately, the current law applies only to federal universities. It is crucial for stakeholders to persuade state governments to adopt similar provisions to ensure consistency across the education sector,” he added.
