Nigerian versities can be best in Africa- Prof. Ogundipe

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos,
Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, says Nigerian
universities can be the best in Africa, if they can
enjoy a stable academic calendar.
Ogundipe made the observation in an interview
with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on
Thursday in Lagos.
The vice-chancellor was reacting to incessant
strikes by labour unions in the Nigerian university
system.
According to him, there is the need for education
stakeholders to effectively manage issues that
result in strikes.
“Universities especially the first generation ones in
the country can be ranked best in Africa, if we can
continue with a stable academic calendar.
“There is need for everyone to look inward to
ensure that we are always able to manage crisis
in the system so that the country’s universities
can be ranked among the best in the world,”
Ogundipe said.
He also said that there was the need for the
stakeholders to take university administration and
related issues more serious.
Ogundipe urged that Nigerian university
administration should be done in line with best
practices.
“We are talking about global ranking of
universities, and here we are, still grappling with
issues of strike,” he said.
“An instance is the ongoing strike by the three
non-academic staff unions of universities.
“This does not speak well of us as a country
because one cannot rule out their relevance in the
running of the system.
“As a manager of a university, I know that their
strike has an effect on the operations of the
institutions,” he said.
.The don noted that many facilities for a
conducive teaching and learning environment
were being handled by the non-academic staff.
“But I am sure that the academic staff would be
up to their assignments.
“This group of staff is not on strike.
“The classrooms are open; as we resumed on
December 27, lectures have commenced in most
faculties in our university.
“The strike is nationwide and not local; there is
little the university on its own can do,” he said.
According to him, the striking unions under the
aegis of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) have
been reasonable in their conduct.
.“They are on strike, no doubt about that. Nobody
has forced them to come to work since the
declaration of the strike to the best of my
knowledge.
“My message is that there is need for an urgent
and continuous dialogue between the striking
workers and the Federal Government.“Dialogue is
key,” he told NAN.
NAN reports that the striking unions, under the
aegis of JAC, had on Sept. 11, embarked on a
nationwide indefinite strike over theon-
implementation of an agreement they entered into
in 2009 with the Federal Government