What societal problems have Nigerian universities solved? – Otunba Olufemi Fadairo

Nigerian Universities are currently on strike. Their major issue is funding.

This has always been their cry since forever, MONEY!

The truth is that entities get money for solving problems. Tell me, what societal problems have our Nigerian universities solved (apart from reading collated votes during elections. Something an OND holder can do)?

We have at least 40 universities in Nigeria that have engineering departments, we have at least 4 dedicated universities of technology and innumerable polytechnics. Yet not one of all these can produce ordinary prepaid meters for electricity.

Just recently, the government licensed 108 companies to produce meters for the electricity consumers in Nigeria. Why can’t we have one or two universities amongst those organizations?

What is in an electric meter? A device that just keeps records of electricity current that passes through it, a very basic device in terms of technological requirements.

If University of Ilorin for example, produces the meters to be supplied to Kwara state alone, the amount of revenue generated would be at least twenty times what the school generates today.

If Unilag produces for Lagos, you can be sure that they would be one of the top ten most profitable non-financial organization in Nigeria.

But what do i know?

The universities have free manpower in the students of the department. The students would be able to use the production of meters as practical experiences. University makes money, the populace gets metered, a major societal problem is solved.

This is not even an invention, its just putting parts together.

Engaging in this type of industry is not necessarily what the departments of Engineering should be majorly focusing on, but it means thinking to solve a problem for the university itself. The problem of funding!

Until our university lecturers start thinking of solving problems, they would continue to be overgrown babies who keeps wanting to suckle from the federal and state governments.

Writing papers is not bad but when the papers don’t lead to solutions for the society, its as good as trash.

We need a new crop of lecturers who can think differently and more resourcefully.