FULafia VC, Kida, Seeks Solutions To Challenges Facing Universities

The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Lafia, FULafia, Prof. Mohammed Isa Kida, has called on Nigerian university administrators to use the 37th Annual Conference of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, CVCNU, to find lasting solutions to challenges confronting the sector.

Kida made the call on the sidelines of the conference, which commenced at the University of Ilorin on Monday and will end on Thursday.

The conference, attended by over 105 vice-chancellors, is themed: “Building Resilient Universities For Nigeria.”

Kida described the gathering as significant, saying it would provide vice-chancellors with an opportunity to brainstorm on the challenges facing Nigerian universities and proffer practical solutions.

He expressed his optimism about the future of the institutions, stressing that commitment and dedication among university administrators would produce positive results.

The FULafia vice-chancellor urged his colleagues to intensify efforts to improve the standards of teaching and research in their respective universities.

The conference featured plenary sessions and workshops on financing, governance, artificial intelligence, human capital and campus welfare.

Meanwhile, declaring the conference open, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu described the nation’s universities as critical partners in the nation’s developmental agenda.

Represented by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Suwaiba Sa’idu Ahmad, the president charged them to produce graduates capable of responding to the realities of a rapidly changing global economy.

Tinubu said the country could not achieve sustainable economic transformation without corresponding investment in human capital.

He said: “Universities are more than institutions where degrees are awarded. They are centres of knowledge creation, innovation, critical thinking, entrepreneurship, cultural development and national transformation."