By Precious Ireoluwa
A call has been made to the federal government of Nigeria to establish more Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria if the nation is to overcome the economic and technology challenges bedevilling it.
This statement was made during the closing ceremony of the 2025 Registry Annual Lecture and Award Ceremony held at the 3000 Hall,Ekiti State University Ado Ekiti.
The guest lecturer, Martins Oloja a renowned media practitioner and former Managing Director/Editor in Chief of the Guardian Newspapers delivered the paper on the topic: Do We Need More or Better Tertiary Institutions In Nigeria?
In the course of his lecture, Oloja highlighted the importance of Registry in academic and non academic environment while encouraging participants to put into practice skills they have learnt during the three days workshop.
He particularly thrilled his audience when he explained with facts and figures that the number of Nigeria Tertiary Institutions is low compared to its contemporaries in the developed countries. Mr. Martins Oloja opined that the 300 universities in Nigeria is not enough and reason the educational system continue to churn out unempoyable graduates as the country continues to prioritize quantity over quality.
According to him, the understanding of the educational sector should rather be blamed for the incompetence in the university sector and not the number of universities being established.
” USA, India and China are the giants of quantity and quality. The United States has over 4000, India over 3500 and China over 3100 universities with Japan which invested over 74 billion dollars funds into their educational system which has invariably paid off in both quality and quantity.”
Calling for more Tertiary Institutions to be established in Nigeria, Martins Oloja decried the low number of Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria especially medicine and technology oriented schools.
” There is therefore no doubt that we need more and better universities that will enable organizations to become deliberate and effective in learning, unlearning and relearning which are essential for progress. Nigeria University system with poor research funding and orientation has for some time now been producing the illiterate of the 21st century and according to Alvin Tofler, the illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn” he concluded.
Earlier the Registrar of the Institution, Mr. Joseph Ife Oluwole thanked the Vice Chancellor Prof. Babatola Ayodele for his visionary mode of leadership which has catapulted the Institution to the best State University and the 12th ranked in Nigeria.
He also celebrated the lives of the past Registrars of the Institutions who are all still alive and doing well in their various endeavours.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof Ayodele who was ably represented by his wife, Mrs Ayodele thanked the staff of the Registry for their continuous support and encouraged them to continue to fly the flag of the institution high.
The Registry also presented an award of excellence to the First lady of Ekiti State, Dr Mrs Kemi Oyebanji, the Pioneer Registrar of Ekiti State University, Chief Dr. G.O Adegbite who was honoured and celebrated for his selfless service and mentorship when he was at the helms of affairs.
Others who were also recognized for their meritorious service include; Eng. Dipo Bamisaye, Barr. Akin Arogundade, Martins Oloja amongst others.
