A Professor of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy at the University of Ibadan, Michael Ayodele Odeniyi, has called on the federal government to return autonomy to Nigerian universities.
Odeniyi made this declaration while delivering the 543rd inaugural lecture of the university.
The lecture was entitled “Whatever You Bind on Earth: New and Old Polymers in Pharmaceutical Engineering”.
He called on the federal government to reinstate true academic and administrative autonomy for Nigerian universities without undermining critical funding.
Odeniyi noted that in recent times, there has been an assault on the curriculum development process and the ability to ensure the quality of the students’ intakes.
He lamented that the universities’ academic autonomy to determine the direction of their academic programmes is being undermined.
He added that records made available by the Raw Materials Research and Development Council showed that over three trillion naira has been spent in the last six years to import pharmaceutical products into the country.
UI Don calls for the reinstatement of true autonomy to Nigerian universities
“I called on the government to reinstate true academic and administrative autonomy for Nigerian universities without undermining critical funding.
“In recent times, there has been an assault on the curriculum development process and the ability to ensure the quality of the students’ intakes.
“The government could also encourage local production through the imposition of taxes and tariffs on imported excipients.”
