By Charles Pemu 
LAGOS — No fewer than 239 first-class graduates employed as lecturers at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) have left the institution over the past seven years due to poor remuneration, unconducive working conditions, and low motivation. This alarming statistic was revealed by the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, during a guest lecture at The PUNCH Forum.
Reeling out statistics, Ogundipe stated that between 2015 and 2022, UNILAG hired 256 first-class graduates as lecturers. However, as of October 2023, only 17 of them remained on the university’s staff.
“What is remaining is not up to 10 per cent. All of them have gone,” he said, warning that unless the government adequately funds the education sector, universities would soon be dominated by women, while unqualified candidates would fill postgraduate programs.
Ogundipe lamented the chronic underfunding of the education sector, noting that federal and state budget allocations have consistently remained below 10 per cent, falling far short of UNESCO’s recommended 15 to 26 per cent. This financial strain, he argued, forces universities to rely on Internally Generated Revenue, which should be used for research.
The former VC called on lawmakers to enact legislation that would guarantee a minimum of N1 billion in annual funding for each first-generation university to address decaying infrastructure.
To address the funding gap, Ogundipe advocated for innovative strategies beyond government allocations. These include public-private partnerships, alumni endowments, philanthropy, and education bonds. He urged various stakeholders to contribute to the sector’s revival.
“The private sector should see education support not just as social responsibility but as enlightened self-interest,” he said. He also implored alumni to “give, mentor, endow, advise, and advocate for your alma mater,” and urged the Nigerian media to make education funding a national priority.