The Registrar of the University of Ilorin, Mr Mansur Adeleke Alfanla, has stressed the need for tertiary institutions in the country to find alternative sources of revenue to fund themselves, adding that this should be pursued in ways that would not affect the academic pursuit of their students.
Alfanla, who stated this while fielding questions from journalists in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, noted that funds coming from the federal government to tertiary institutions may no longer be business as usual due to the current downturn of the nation’s economy which by extension, he said, was a product of global economic challenge.
He lamented that most institutions have to cope with the challenges of working with obsolete equipment and infrastructure, urging tertiary institutions to partner relevant stakeholders, organisations and institutes to generate funds.
The Registrar, who identified under-funding as a major problem facing most tertiary institutions in the country, noted that this has drastically affected teaching, learning and research works.
On the ongoing 2022/2023 admission exercise of the University of Ilorin, Alfanla disclosed that the admission ought to have been concluded since 2022, but for Covid-19 pandemic and the 2022 prolonged Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike which disrupted the academic calendar.
He added that the admission exercise is ongoing and promised that the management of the institution would be fair to all admission seekers.
Noting that most parents blamed the institution for not admitting their children despite scoring good marks, Alfanla said admissions into universities are in line with the laid down rules and regulations, which according to him, transcends Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
He said information dissemination has been digitalised at the institution since his assumption of office as the 7th Registrar of the university, adding that this has not only reduced the cost of purchasing stationery but also aided smooth information delivery.
Describing the University of Ilorin as the most sought-after University in the country, Alfanla said the institution is in synergy with the leadership of ASUU to ensure that academic programmes of students were not disrupted as a result of strike actions and promised that students would now be confident that time of admission and graduation would not exceed the projected years of their academic programmes.
He declared that the university has zero tolerance for indiscipline, examination malpractices and other vices and therefore appealed to parents and guardians to guide their children and wards.