The Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Consortium of Universities in Kwara State (KU8+), Prof. Ishaq Olanrewaju Oloyede has challenged universities in the state to be the state’s “developmental brain box” by offering research-driven solutions to the state’s economic and social challenges.
The immediate past Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) made the call in a goodwill message at the weekend during the opening of the Fourth KU8+Conference at Summit University, Offa.
He called on the universities to combine their expertise to transform agriculture, resuscitate dying industries and offer the government objective advice on policies that can lead to sustainable development.
Mr Oloyede said universities should be apolitical and should give independent and objective advice to governments, which he said was a sanitizing role.
He recalled his time as Vise Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, when he turned down an appointment as a Presiding Officer in a national election, because he believed that universities should remain neutral and be available to mediate when political actors disagree.
He urged the KU8+ institutions to work together in developing innovative solutions that will enhance agricultural productivity and economic growth, pointing out that Kwara is home to several Federal Government institutions with mandates in the agricultural sector.
Among these are the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI), Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority, National Center for Agricultural Mechanization (NCAM), Faculty of Agriculture and others.
Oloyede said agriculture was one of the state’s greatest strengths and the concentration of agricultural institutions was an opportunity for the universities to come up with solutions to the challenges facing the sector.
He also mourned the collapse of major industries in the state such as Bacita Sugar Company, Jebba Paper Mill and Tobacco Company.
Oloyede called on the universities to use research and innovation to revive such industries and reinvent the state’s economy.
He said that universities should be helping governments to plan for the future by coming up with new ideas and practical solutions to emerging challenges, instead of just reacting to events.
The former JAMB Registrar praised the Vise Chancellor of the University of Ilorin and Chairman of KU8+, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole for forming the consortium.
Contrary to claims in some quarters that he was the founder of KU8+, he said the consortium was an initiative of the Egbewole administration. He said, “During my time as a vise chancellor, the University of Ilorin pioneered some earlier collaborative initiatives like AWAU and U6+.
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Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye II, the Olofa of Offa also spoke and congratulated the organizers, describing KU8+ as a laudable initiative that was redefining collaboration among universities in the state.
He commended the university leaders for coming together to promote educational development and expressed hope that the collaboration would help Kwara produce some of the best students in Nigeria thru shared programs and initiatives.
However, the second lead paper presenter, Emeritus Professor of Science Education, Olugbemiro Jegede, urged KU8+ members to enhance collaboration thru a credit transfer system that would enable smooth movement of students among the member institutions.
Jegede also suggested that to achieve greater academic integration among the universities, staff and students exchange programs, joint degree awards, and collaborative teaching and research initiatives should be implemented.
He suggested a consortium-wide Learning Management System (LMS), virtual campuses, shared high performance computing facilities and cloud infrastructure as one academic ecosystem.
Pooling resources, he said, would reduce unnecessary duplication, enhance efficiency and extend access to quality teaching, learning and research facilities across member universities.
“Academic integrity, technological innovation, evidence-based practices and institutional collaboration would determine the future of higher education,” Jegede said.
He called on universities to break down the silos by linking research, teaching and community engagement to create a vibrant and inclusive higher education system that can propel national development.
