Jega warns of deepening governance crisis in varsities

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Livestock Reforms, Professor Attahiru Jega. File Photo

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Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, has warned that Nigerian universities are facing a “deepening crisis of governance” that threatens their ability to deliver quality education, research, and innovation.

Delivering the third Abdullahi Mahadi Memorial Lecture on Thursday at Gombe State University, Jega said that while the country’s university system is expanding rapidly in number, its quality is steadily declining.

Jega said, “We have grown from a single university in 1948 to more than 309 by 2025, yet governance has not kept pace with this expansion.

“Weak leadership recruitment, inadequate funding, political interference, corruption, weak accountability, and adversarial labour relations are crippling the system.”

He added that these failures had “demoralised staff, frustrated students, and left infrastructure decaying.

“The Nigerian university system is not working optimally. Unless we fix governance, we cannot fix anything else.”

The former INEC boss outlined urgent reforms to revive the sector.

“Leadership recruitment must be open, merit-based, and shielded from political manipulation. Opaque processes only breed corruption and instability,” he said.

He also stressed the need to strengthen university autonomy.

“A university cannot flourish under excessive political and bureaucratic control. Institutional autonomy is essential for academic excellence,” Jega noted.

On governance, he called for more inclusive and participatory structures.

“Councils, management, and unions must collaborate rather than engage in constant confrontation,” he added.

Regarding funding, Jega said the current approach was unsustainable.

“No university can thrive on erratic and insufficient government subventions. We need innovative, diversified, and accountable funding models,” he said.

He further cautioned against the unchecked proliferation of private universities.

“Expansion without quality is dangerous. Regulation must be strengthened,” he added.

Representing Governor Muhammadu Yahaya, Gombe State Deputy Governor, Dr Manassah Jatau, endorsed the urgency of reforms.

Yahaya described both Jega and the honouree, Prof Abdullahi Mahadi, as “exceptional Nigerians whose contributions to education and national development remain unmatched.”

He urged universities to reinvent themselves to survive the current challenges.

“Universities have to be innovative, resilient, and responsive to societal needs,” he said.

On funding, Yahaya warned institutions against overreliance on government allocations.

“Waiting for the government alone is like waiting for a train that will not come. Universities must diversify their revenue sources,” he advised.

He also encouraged GSU to compile all previous Mahadi lectures into a single publication for research and documentation.

“This will enrich scholarship and preserve the intellectual legacy of Prof Mahadi,” he added.

Earlier, GSU Vice Chancellor, Prof Sani Yauta, said the memorial lecture was instituted to honour the foundational contributions of Prof Abdullahi Mahadi, the university’s pioneer VC.

“His imprint is permanently carved into the foundations of this university,” he said.

The late professor’s elder son, Maj Gen Isa Mahadi, represented by Col Swobor Beke, expressed gratitude for the continued honour to his father’s memory and announced token support to the Mahadi Foundation.

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