Innocent Onoh
The Pro-Chancellor of Edwin Clark University, Delta State, Prof. Oladapo Afolabi, has emphasized that granting full autonomy to universities is critical to their development and the production of market-ready graduates.
Afolabi, a former Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education and one-time Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, made this assertion on Thursday while delivering a valedictory speech at a book presentation held in honour of Prof. Olaide Adedokun, who has retired from Lagos State University (LASU).
The event, which drew prominent academics, was held at LASU’s main campus in Ojo.
The retired professor was celebrated with the launch of a new book titled “Academic Ethics in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Navigating the Challenges of Plagiarism and Other Dilemmas of Integrity in the University.”
In his address, Prof. Afolabi argued that university autonomy would lead to exponential institutional development, thereby enhancing the relevance and competitiveness of Nigerian graduates.
He called on university administrations to actively pursue full autonomy from government control, stating that such a move is essential for the restoration of the university’s transformative role in society.
“Without autonomy, challenges such as poor working conditions, underfunding, and inadequate teaching and learning infrastructure will continue to plague the system,” Afolabi said.
He decried the politicization of development projects in tertiary institutions and urged universities to stop treating TETFund interventions as political favours. “These projects are not handouts from politicians; they are statutory entitlements for educational institutions,” he stated.
According to Afolabi, with ₦3 trillion currently allocated to education and a more autonomous system, universities could receive as much as ₦60 billion annually—enough to address major infrastructural and academic concerns.
He also encouraged universities to build strategic alliances with relevant institutions to secure and maintain their independence from political interference.
Commending Prof. Adedokun, he praised her dedication, mentorship, and scholarly contributions, describing her retirement as a significant milestone marked by decades of service to academia and humanity.
Prof. Olaide Adedokun, a distinguished scholar from LASU’s Department of Sociology, was born in 1955 and retires after a long and impactful career in education.