Emmanuel Adeyemi, media aide to the immediate-past Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, has rejected what he described as a misinterpretation of her comments on the cost of university education. The clarification followed reactions to excerpts from an interview Olatunji-Bello granted PUNCH on Tuesday, which were widely circulated……
Emmanuel Adeyemi, media aide to the immediate-past Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, has rejected what he described as a misinterpretation of her comments on the cost of university education.
The clarification followed reactions to excerpts from an interview Olatunji-Bello granted PUNCH on Tuesday, which were widely circulated on social media.
According to Punch, Adeyemi said in a statement on Wednesday that the former LASU Vice-Chancellor did not advocate that students or their parents should pay ₦1 million annually for public university education.
He urged the public, media organisations and education stakeholders to consider Olatunji-Bello’s full remarks rather than rely on isolated excerpts which, he said, could distort the context of her position.
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Adeyemi explained that Olatunji-Bello was discussing the estimated cost of providing quality undergraduate education while advocating innovative and diversified funding models for universities.
He said her comments were made against the backdrop of growing expectations for Nigerian universities to provide education comparable in quality to institutions in other parts of the world.
According to him, Olatunji-Bello estimated that delivering such quality education costs about ₦1 million per student annually.
Adeyemi stressed, however, that the former Vice-Chancellor did not propose transferring the entire cost of providing university education to students or their parents.
He said, “The immediate-past Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University, Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, has been widely quoted across social media as saying that students must pay ₦1m in fees for public universities to achieve self-sustainability.
“Distinguished Professor Olatunji-Bello’s remarks were made against the backdrop of Nigerians’ legitimate aspiration for university education that is genuinely comparable in quality to what is obtainable in other parts of the world, a standard that stands in sharp contrast to the comparatively low tuition fees currently charged by public universities in Nigeria.
“Her central argument was that delivering the quality of undergraduate education Nigerians rightly desire costs, on average, approximately ₦1m per student annually. Crucially, however, she did not suggest that this cost must necessarily be transferred wholesale onto students or their parents.”
Adeyemi said the remarks, when read in their entirety, reflected Olatunji-Bello’s call for universities to pursue innovation and develop diversified revenue streams to achieve financial sustainability.
He added, “This is precisely why, in response to the interview question on institutional self-sustainability, she began by stating: ‘Universities can achieve financial self-sustainability. If they can innovate and ensure improvements in the institution, money will come in.’
“She went on to add: ‘I enjoin parents to ensure their children are well-educated by prioritising their fees. Good quality education needs money.’”
Adeyemi said the ex-VC’s position reflected a broader call for universities to pursue innovation and diversified revenue streams as the primary pathway to financial sustainability, while also reminding parents of the genuine cost implications of quality education and encouraging shared responsibility rather than assigning that burden to any single party.
He said the former VC sought to remind parents of the cost implications of quality education and encourage shared responsibility for funding university education.
“We urge members of the public, the media, and stakeholders in the education sector to engage with Distinguished Professor Olatunji-Bello’s complete remarks in their proper context, rather than isolated soundbites that do not accurately reflect the full weight and intent of her position,” he added.
