The Vice-Chancellor of Augustine University, Ilara-Epe, Prof. Anthony Akinwale, has urged governments to cut down on their workforce and channel the savings into education and other essential services.
Speaking ahead of the university’s 10th anniversary and convocation ceremony, Akinwale said Nigeria cannot develop without properly funding education.
“If we want to build our country, we must build the education sector,” he said.
He explained that education rests on three pillars — intellectual, technical, and ethical formation — and warned that neglecting any of them weakens the entire system.
Akinwale linked the growing moral decline in society to the failure to include ethics in education, stressing that learning should go beyond academics to shaping character.
The VC also lamented the lack of government support for private universities, noting that they are often excluded from interventions by TETFund and the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
He dismissed claims that Nigeria has too many universities, arguing instead that more are needed to cater to the country’s large youth population.
Akinwale also called for reforms in the admission process, saying universities should be allowed to admit students directly rather than relying solely on the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
At the upcoming convocation, the university will graduate 169 students — 148 with degrees and 21 with diplomas. Twenty-two students earned First Class honours, with Ann Adeyera from the Department of Chemical Sciences emerging as the Best Graduating Student with a CGPA of 4.90.
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