Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has advised Nigerian Zuniversities to embark on aggressive marketing to meet their needs rather than blaming government for all their inadequacies.
He gave the charge at the official opening of the Kesington Adebukunola Adebutu Foundation Auditorium donated to the Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Public Health, University of Ibadan.
Professor Osinbajo noted that the successful universities of the world are those who engage in aggressive fundraising, adding that private funding is very vital to universities.
According to the Vice President, the Nigerian government’s total annual budget is inadequate to meet national developmental needs.
He commended the UI Department of Nutrition and Dietetics for its earlier role in the Nigerian food chain and urged the department to engage more in research that is in synergy with the needs of relevant government agencies.
He stated that Nigeria is abundantly blessed with the potential to produce food to feed the whole of Africa if efforts are coordinated.
The governor of Oyo State, Engr Seyi Makinde, was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Olubanwo Adeosun, at the event.
She appreciated the KAAF for the donation on behalf of the people of Oyo State.
She noted that Sir Kesington Adebutu is a philanthropic Nigerian who donates generously, irrespective of political or religious affiliations of the beneficiaries.
She urged the university to maintain the auditorium properly.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kayode O. Adebowale, was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, Professor Ezekiel Olusola Ayoola.
Professor Ayoola thanked the donor and assured that the auditorium would be put to good use and be well maintained.
He noted that the project was particularly significant and praiseworthy at a time when Federal Universities required all the support they could get from all quarters.
The Provost of the College of Medicine, Professor Olayinka Omigbodun, urged the government to relax its policies such as TSA, which are strangulating research efforts in the universities.
She also urged the government to transform the universities to discourage brain drain.
The message of the donor, Sir Dr. Kesington Adebukunola Adebutu was delivered by Aare Kola Oyefeso.
According to him, KAAF is a veritable blessing from the Supreme Lord established when Sir Adebutu turned 70 years old in 2005.
It is a special purpose vehicle with the objective of giving back to the society especially, in the areas of education, health service delivery, employment generation, religious institutions and putting smiles on the faces of the needy, among other altruistic services to humanity, irrespective of tribal and political affiliations.
The KAAF Auditorium was built at a total cost of N315 million. It is a 250-seater auditorium fully air-conditioned, with multi media facilities, a 150KVA generator with a backup 10KV Inverter attached to solar panels, and a 15KVA Lithium battery.
The Acting Head of the Department, Dr Oluyemisi Folasire, assured that the auditorium would be put to good use as a dedicated space to deliver lectures, presentations, discourses and performances to large audiences, facilitating effective communication, knowledge sharing, and community engagement.
