The immediate past Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, has revealed that no fewer than 239 first-class graduates employed as lecturers left the institution within seven years.

According to Ogundipe, UNILAG had retained 256 first-class graduates as lecturers between 2015 and 2022, but by October 2023, only 17 remained in the institution’s employ.

“At UNILAG, we decided that those with first-class honours should be employed. What is remaining is not up to 10 per cent. All of them have gone.

“In 2015, 86 were employed; in 2016, 82; during my time, that is, 2017 to 2022, 88 were employed. As of October 2023, only 17 were on the ground. They have gone. Very soon, in the next 10 years, you will have only females in the universities if something is not done,” the former VC disclosed on Tuesday while speaking as guest lecturer at The PUNCH Forum held at The PUNCH Place, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, themed: “Innovative Funding of Functional Education in the Digital Age.”

Poor Pay, Harsh Conditions Blamed

Naijaonpoint reports that the former UNILAG VC attributed the exodus to poor remuneration, unconducive working conditions, and low motivation among lecturers.

“Many of our colleagues, especially the young ones, are tired. By the time you get home, there is no light, and the Federal Government is saying they are giving us ₦10m to access as loans. Can I use ₦10m to build a security post? You can see how our lives have been devalued,” he lamented.

Ogundipe warned that unless urgent steps are taken, universities could soon be dominated by women while unqualified candidates flood postgraduate programmes.

He also decried the chronic underfunding of education, noting that budgetary allocations have consistently remained below 10 per cent, far short of UNESCO’s recommended 15–26 per cent.

“In the period from 2015 to 2025, Nigeria’s education sector has faced tremendous fiscal restraint. Most years hover between 4.5 and 7.5 per cent. The consequences are immediate and profound: Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children worldwide, estimated at between 10 and 22 million,” he said.

He called for a law mandating at least ₦1bn annual allocation to each first-generation university to fix decayed infrastructure.

Ogundipe, now Pro-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, urged government and stakeholders to embrace innovative financing models beyond traditional allocations.

He recommended public-private partnerships, alumni endowments, philanthropy, education bonds, EdTech investments, and diaspora-targeted funding.

“UNESCO positions innovative financing as a critical tool for bridging the nearly $100bn annual financing gap impeding education in low- and lower-middle-income countries,” he said.

“The private sector should see education support not just as social responsibility but as enlightened self-interest in building the workforce and markets of tomorrow. To alumni, home and abroad, remember that the institutions that made you now need you. Give, mentor, endow, advise, and advocate for your alma mater and the next generation.”

Call for Collective Effort

Ogundipe also urged civil society, faith-based groups, and the media to continue championing reforms, while international agencies should support Nigeria’s drive for sustainable education funding.

“Above all, let us see education as the most sacred trust we must pass to our children. Our fingerprints, our footprints, our names should be found in the library buildings, the digital labs, the scholarships, and the lives changed,” the former VC concluded.