Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim

There are indications that the Federal Government might stop funding universities in Nigeria.

The government had expressed pessimism that it would continue to effectively fund tertiary institutions in the country and had suggested that institutions should source their own funds by attracting investors to assist in the development of the education sector.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, stated this on Thursday night in Abuja during the launch/dinner of the University of Jos annual fund to generate money from its alumni and friends for the development of the institution.

The SGF, who applauded the decision of his alma mater, said, “UNIJOS is the very first university in the nation to embark on sourcing of funds to augment the funds that come from the government, which is scarcely enough for the development of education in the nation.”

He said the development had led to the inauguration of a committee by the FG to assess the nation’s tertiary institutions and ascertain the level of decay and needs in the schools.

Anyim, however, advised that the funds generated should be managed prudently by getting everyone involved from the management staff to the lecturers.

The former Senate President condemned the attitude of some management members of universities, who see themselves as political appointees and are only interested in what they can get without caring for the welfare of the institutions.

He said, “It is an error to source funds and for others to manage; that era is gone. University managements should invest in hostel development in partnership with the private sector.”

Vice-chancellor of the institution, Prof. Hayward Mafuyai, expressed disappointment at the down-turn of the education sector.

He said, “This initiative is coming at a time when Nigerian universities have consistently lost out of ranking among top 1,000 universities in the world.

“On the other hand, all the top 10 universities in the world have one thing in common: they rely heavily on the goodwill of friends and alumni for funding critical areas of successes such as teaching, research and innovation.