The Vice Chancellor of Trinity University, Yaba, Lagos State, Prof. Clement Kolawole, made the call on Wednesday.
Kolawole urged the Federal Government not to limit financial aid through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund to government-owned universities alone.
Kolawole said TETFund should also support private universities with funds.
He made the appeal in Lagos during a mentorship programme organised by Trinity University, in collaboration with a firm, Etiquette Poise and Protocol Resources, for about 596 secondary pupils who will be seeking admission to higher institutions.
Kolawole said, “Although TETFund was initiated by ASUU, it is high time the ASUU saw private university administrators as part of them. We are all working towards the same goal of building future leaders who will shape the future development of this country and having access to this fund will help us achieve this goal.
The decision of the Federal Government not to provide this fund to private institutions is an attempt to marginalise private tertiary institutions.”
The VC said the training, tagged ‘The Campus Flaws’, was designed to prepare the students for higher education.
“The Campus Flaw event is a unique opportunity to enhance your preparedness for higher education by instilling essential values and insights for informed decision-making. Our collaborative objective is to equip you with the necessary skills and character to excel in the pursuit of your academic and career aspirations.”
The Chairman of ERPA, Olutunji Oladimeji, bemoaned the leadership deficit in Nigeria, stressing that the programme was designed to address leadership issues.
“When you see the kind of leaders that we have in the country, you will see that they are a reflection of how they were trained. We have identified this leadership deficit and that is why we are training these young ones on how to be better persons ahead of the future.
“Research has shown that one out of 10 girls who got admitted into tertiary institutions may have their first abortion in their first semester while three out of 10 students who got into tertiary institutions may have been introduced to cultism, drug abuse, and other social vices. This is why we are training these students ahead of the challenges they may be faced with in tertiary institutions,” Oladimeji said.
