Prof. Abdulrasheed Na’Allah, Vice-Chancellor, Kwara State University, has called on Nigerian universities to wake from their slumber and partner with industries on research and productivity.
Na’Allah made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin on Monday.
He said the Nigerian university system had failed us as a nation thereby subjecting us to a consuming nation rather than a producing one that it should be.
“You hardly find universities in Nigeria that are working strongly with industries daily to create products, that is why we are a consuming nation rather than a producing one.
“I make bold to say that our universities have failed us woefully in this nation.
“This is a country where a lot of money has been spent on universities, but what we have been doing is to produce so many graduates.
“When you are producing graduates, you should also develop the resources. You should help the nation to grow.
“But there is no sector of our lives that we have developed like agriculture, what have we done with it. Other serious nations do not just produce crops, they process and make storage facilities.
“They make sure that their nation is not only a producer of agricultural products, but they are also consumers of finished products from agricultural produce.
“What we do in Nigeria is to rather import goods. Our universities have failed in ways that it can collaborate with industries,’’ he said.
Na’Allah added that countries that rule the world economically were known to have universities collaborating with industries.
According to him, China have overthrown Japan as the second largest economy because Chinese universities have stood up, they have made a difference for their country in every aspect of research.
“It is the university that have worked along with the nation in political, economic, agricultural, science, space realm and that is why they are where they are today.
“In other parts of the world, universities and industries are constantly working day in day out.
“We don’t have that here, what we have is a university system where cultism and examination malpractices thrives; lecturers pursue girls, and different crisis.
“This has gone to destroy the whole essence of that greatness which our heroes past have predicted for us as a nation.
“It is painful because Nigerian universities should be ahead of anybody in ensuring that Nigeria’s greatness is sustained,’’ he said.
The vice chancellor, however, noted that Nigeria could surpass the achievement of other nations if Nigerian universities retraced their steps and stopped fighting standards.
“The way out is that we must retrace our steps and stop thinking that we have even reached anywhere because if we keep thinking in that manner, in terms of world standard, we will be deceiving ourselves.
“We must reorganise what we do and stop fighting standards.
“This boasted image as if we have done anything should be buried, so that we can humble ourselves and start all over again.
“This is because we are better than most of these nations. God has endowed us with all those resources.
“We just have to be disciplined, ethical, focused and be ready for rigour and vigour. We just want to achieve even though we are not vigorous.’’ (NAN)