By Akinwale Kasali
The Federal Government has been indicted by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFUND, for failing to grant Nigerian Universities absolute autonomy.
TETFUND has, therefore, called on the Federal Government to abolish its existing policy on Nigerian Universities and grant them complete autonomy.
Sonny Echono, Executive Secretary, made this appeal during the 9th Convocation ceremony of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, FUOYE.
Expressing his concern over Government’s control of Universities, despite the provisions of the Universities Autonomy Act №1 of 2007, which allows Universities to govern themselves and manage their finances, among other responsibilities.
He emphasized that the primary goal of the Act is to free universities from the bureaucratic constraints of the civil service, enabling University Governing Councils to exercise their powers and perform their functions without undue external influence or interference.
He also pointed out that Government’s interference, particularly, through the constitution and the dissolution of Governing Councils, has impeded Universities’ ability to establish independent appeal processes.
In his Convocation lecture titled “University Autonomy and the Challenge of Quality Tertiary Education in Nigeria,” Echono explained that autonomy would empower Universities to manage their academic curricula, staff welfare, and finances effectively.
Echono clarified that granting autonomy does not absolve the federal government of its responsibility to fund universities or imply the privatization of these institutions.
His words, “The existing Government policy on autonomy for Universities in Nigeria allows them to govern themselves, appoint key officers, determine staff conditions of service, control student admissions and academic curricula, manage their finances and generally operate as independent legal entities without undue interference from the federal government and its agencies.
“This policy is derived from the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act 2003, also known as the Universities Autonomy Act №1 of 2007.
“The Act, enacted by the National Assembly and signed into law on July 10, 2003, was later gazetted by the Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette №10, Volume 94 on January 12, 2007, as Act №1 of 2000.
“The overall goal of the Act is to liberate our universities from the civil service bureaucracy and enable university governing councils to exercise their powers without undue external influence.
“However, the government retains ultimate control over universities through constitutional provisions and the dissolution of governing councils. The President is the final arbiter in all appeal processes regarding federal institutions, and the government holds legislative power.
“Thus, it can be argued that autonomy under the Act is not absolute. For instance, despite the provisions for autonomy, Section 2AAA (2) mandates that a university council must ensure that the disbursement of university funds complies with the budgetary ratios approved by the government.
“While the Act is silent on the issue of internally generated revenue, it may imply that universities can freely disburse revenue generated from various sources without government interference. However, the government’s Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy requires all government agencies and institutions to pay their revenues into the TSA.
Resolving these inherent conflicts is crucial for restoring autonomy to our universities.
“It is important to note that university autonomy should not be interpreted as absolving the government of its responsibility to fund universities, nor does it imply the abdication or privatization of these institutions. The desirability of university autonomy encompasses three aspects: academic, administrative, and financial autonomy.”
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