Nigeria Content Online

Nigerian
universities should move from their traditional role of being ‘ivory
tower’ where knowledge is pursued for its own sake without it being
attuned to the immediate needs and developmental aspirations of the
society, Nigeria’s former Vice president, Atiku Abubakar has said.Mr.
Abubakar spoke over the weekend at the 5th annual founder’s day of the
American University of Nigeria, which he founded in 2005.

Speaking on the
theme, “Nigeria at 50, AUN at 5, : The Role of Universities in Solving
Societies problem,” Mr. Abubakar said the country’s attainment of the
golden age of 50 is worth celebrating, adding that the country has come
to stay.

“My position has
always been that despite the current challenges, the fact that the
various nationalities that make up the country have been together for
this long despite occasional hiccups is worth celebrating,” he
said.”Can you imagine 50 years of marriage without break up?

This is not to say
that the generalized frustration and rising incidence of poverty,
epileptic power supply, dilapidated infrastructure, collapse education
and pervasive insecurity are not justified, though.” Linking the
challenges facing the nation to the ill-preparedness of the country’s
universities to provide solution to the challenges, he stressed the
need for universities to be transformed to developmental institutions
to help arrest the decay in the country.

He said his
disenchantment with the country’s tertiary education system, which he
described as an “atmosphere where scholars engage in intellectual
pursuit but are disconnected from the practical concerns of everyday
life” was the main reason for the establishment of the AUN, which he
called a “developmental university” that which seeks to take active
participation in nation building.

Mr Abubakar said
the distinction between the traditional and developmental university
lies in the “consciousness” with which actively pursues its mission and
of being an active partner in the development process.

“In a developmental
university for instance, teaching and research are organized in such a
way as to consciously meet the development needs of a country” Mr.
Abubakar said.

Unaffordable luxury

Mr. Abubakar said
the notion of universities as ivory towers is a luxury we cannot afford
and called for universities in the country to move from their roles of
being traditional universities to one where they become “active
partners in both economic development and the nation building
processes”.

This founder’s day
was performed alongside the inauguration of the institution’s third
president, Margee Ensign. She joined the AUN in July 2010 from the
University of the Pacific, California, where she was dean of the school
of international studies.

Ms. Ensign, who
said her appointment is a great leap,announced the establishment of an
International centre for development and entrepreneur solutions and is
to be named after its founder, Mr. Abubakar.

Those at the event
are the deputy governor of Adamawa state, Bala James Ngillari; the
Lamido of Adamawa,Muhammadu Barkindo Aliyu Musdafa; Bamanga Tukur;
Ibrahim Bapetel; Dubem Onyia and Maxwell Gidado, among others.

Ahmed Joda,
chairman of the university’s Board of Trustees, said he was optimistic
the AUN would play a critical role in the country’s development.

Mr Ngillari said his adoption of the views espoused by Mr. Abubakar has made him a friend of the University.