The Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities of Nigeria (COPSUN) has observed that the brain drain syndrome has taken its huge toll on the university system in Nigeria with many lecturers seeking for greener pastures abroad.
The Pro- Chancellors therefore called on the Federal Government to declare the development as a matter of national concern deserving urgent solution.
This was contained in a Communiqué signed by COPSUN Secretary, Marcus Awobifa and issued at the end of its 62nd Meeting of the Pro-Chancellor in Abuja on Thursday.
COPSUN reiterated the importance of University autonomy and called on the State governments to uphold the principle of autonomy.
The committee said they should emulate the Federal Government where the appointment of Vice Chancellors ends with the Governing Council of individual Federal Universities.
The Pro-Chancellors added that the State Universities Governing Councils should be given free hands to determine the school fees of their various Universities having regard to the modern economic realities in the country.
COPSUN however, appealed to state governments in the country to improve the funding of state-owned Universities.
The Pro-Chancellors asserted that by virtue of their closeness to the grassroots, the state Universities have better understanding to contribute to the social, economic and technological advancement of the people and should therefore attract more government attention.
The Committee charged the Vice Chancellors of state universities to be more proactive and seek for alternative sources of revenue to supplement government funding.
It added that by so doing, the Vice Chancellors of State Universities will be creating a niche for themselves as the master of development of tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, COPSUN eleceted the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of Gombe State University, Senator Joshua Lidani as its new chairman.
Senator Lidani, a former Deputy Governor of Gombe State and former Senator for the Gombe South constituency of Gombe State replaces Yusuf Ali, SAN who bowed out of COPSUN following dissolution of the Governing Council of the Osun State University where he was the Pro-Chancellor.
While Prof. Ayodeji Omole, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso was elected the Vice Chairman, the Pro-Chancellors of Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba, Prof. R.B. Ikomi; Lagos State University of Education, Ijanikin, Alhaja Sakeenat Yusuf and Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, Dr. Hahiru Bala were elected members of the new executive council respectively.
The communiqué also disclosed that COPSUN has also reconstituted its Board of Trustees with the appointment of six eminent Nigerian personalities including Yusuf Ali, SAN, Professor of Law Practice and the immediate past chairman of COPSUN, Senator Major General Mohammed Magoro, former chairman of COPSUN and Hon. Awwal Tukur who was the immediate past Vice Chairman of COPSUN.
Others are Prof. E.A.C. Nwanze, Emeritus Professor and Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, University of Delta, Agbor; Rev. Father (Dr.) Nwali Abraham, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of Ebonyi State University and Prof. J.D. Amin, former Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Yusuf Maitama Sule University
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has accepted to play host to its 2024 Biennial Conference on behalf of its state universities.
