AAU’s Oyewole Backs Non-Professors as University Heads, Amund Objects

The raging issue of leadership in Nigerian universities beyond professorship sparked four months ago by erstwhile Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof Wande Abimbola has resurfaced on the popular monthly interview discourse, Boiling Point Arena, with panelists backing innovative moves capable of throwing up emergence of non-Professors heading Universities.

Contributing to the great debate at the 38th edition of the programme on Sunday night, Secretary-General, Association of African Universities(AAU), Prof Olusola Oyewole, wants the Federal Government to tinker with far-reaching reforms including rethinking the present governance structure in the institutions as a way of regaining the lost glory of universities in Nigeria.

Oyewole, a former Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta(FUNAAB) submitted that the current system which allowed only Professors to head University Management should be reversed to allow competent Administrators who are not necessarily from the academia to kick-start a major revolution in the country’s tertiary education.

His viewpoint was corroborated by frontline traditional ruler, the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Prof Saka Matemilola, who chaired the Boiling Point discourse with a submission that the time is ripe for government to introduce creativity capable of bringing on board people who can create the right value for the varsities.

However, another Guest on the current affairs programme, Emeritus Prof Olukayode Amund of the University of Lagos, Akoka, rose stoutly to oppose the clamour, insisting that only Professors who have passed through various ladders of the University system can effectively head such institutions.

The current affairs programme hosted by a veteran media professional and public relations strategist, Dr Ayo Arowojolu, was transmitted via Zoom and broadcast live on six partnering radio stations in Lagos, Ogun and Delta States.

The topic of discourse was: “Quality vs. Quantity: How Nigerian Universities Lost Their Competitive Edge in Global Standard and Way Out”

Although Prof Oyewole explained that the title of such University heads could be changed from Vice-Chancellor to President, citing the practice in other climes, he insisted that the number one responsibility of a university helmsman is being an innovative fund raiser as government alone cannot completely shoulder all financial burdens of institutions.

Here’s Prof Oyewole’s drift: “In order to reverse the misfortunes of our universities in Nigeria, innovation should be at the forefront. Our system of making people to become Professors appears to be faulty in that we are only interested in a number of publications, whereas the world is not talking about publications but innovations that comes from your research activities.

“To effectively lead a university, number one is vision. He or she ought to have a great vision for that university. Two, innovation. Innovative management of the university is very critical and of course, promotion of internationalization.

“on the issue of who should head a University, what makes institutions in Nigeria different from institutions overseas,
where we have non-professors heading a university? If Prof Amund is insisting a VC must be a researcher, I will tell you there have been innovations and inventions which are not from academics.

“There are universities in Africa that are headed by people who are not Profs. For example, Mojime Sixth University in Morocco is an industry-intensive University and it’s not headed by a professor.
The reason is the vision of that university is innovation and entrepreneurship. The decision about who heads a university will depend on the vision and mission of that university. If the vision and mission is innovation, entrepreneurship, and industry collaboration,
I submit that a non-professor can head the university.”

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Diving on a divergent lane, Prof Olukayode Amund, former Vice-Chancellor, Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, objected, arguing that since Vice-Chancellors are supposed to be the number one academic leader of the University, such a helmsman must not only be a researcher but must have scaled over all the different layers of the academic institution.

Prof Amund said: “I don’t align with the view ofy Prof Oyewole and Prof Wande Abimbola. Even though I am aware that in American universities, you don’t have to be a Professor to be the head of a University. In fact, they are called Presidents. They are not called Vice-Chancellors

“But, in the United Kingdom, you must be a Professor. Because you cannot give what you don’t have. You know, scholarship is very, very important and very critical.

“Because if you are going to head a varsity, you are not only the image maker of the university. You are the number one academic leader of the university. And, for you to be able to give leadership to an academic institution, you must be a good researcher, you must be a good teacher. That is when you can stick in judgment over others.

“More importantly, there are criteria which are taken into consideration
before somebody is appointed as a Vice-Chancellor. You are not only a professor, but a Professor of several years standing. Someone who has also held other positions within the university.
Someone who has gone around the system and the system has actually passed through him.
Because without the system passing through you, you cannot give the right leadership for the University system. You must know the system that you want to lead.”

Weighing in on the debacle, Oba Prof Saka Matemilola said: “For me, it’s about leadership.
It’s about who can really bring value to the University, not necessarily because you have a degree in Entrepreneurship,
or a professor of 50 years, it’s about bringing the right value to the institution. It is good that we’ve all agreed that
the decline in our Universities is reversible. All we need is visionary leadership.”

Speaking on other myriads of challenges facing the tertiary education in Nigeria, both Prof Oyewole and Emeritus Prof Amund formed a consensus that rebuilding excellence at the university level cannot be done in isolation but that the Federal Government must as a necessity tinker with reforms in the primary and secondary education system which feeds the Universities is with many immature and low-quality students.

The interview discourse lasted for a two-hour duration and was broadcast live on WASH FM, Lagos, Sweet FM, Abeokuta, Roots FM, Abeokuta, Ẹrimbe FM, Shagamu, Women Radio FM, Mowe, and Kruzz FM, Asaba.