African’s development hinges on adequate funding of her universities – Prof Lumuma
By Emmanuel Kehinde, Ilorin
A former director of Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, Prof. Patrick Lumumba, on Thursday, said African universities must be respected and adequately funded if true development was to be achieved on the continent
Lumumba stated this in a lecture he delivered to mark the 50th anniversary of the University of Ilorin, in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.
He noted that Nigeria’s vast human resource potential continues to shine globally, as evidenced by the countless Nigerian engineers, professors, and doctors excelling in Europe, America, and across Africa.
He emphasised that the rise of Africa depends on giving the continent’s scholars and institutions their rightful place, beginning with universities such as the University of Ilorin.
Reflecting on Africa’s past commitments, Lumumba recalled the 1980 Lagos Plan of Action, where leaders pledged to strengthen education and intra-African trade but failed to follow through.
He also cited the 1991 Abuja Declaration, in which African nations promised to allocate 15 per cent of their national budgets to health, a target still unmet decades later.
