The immediate past Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has urged universities in Kwara State to move beyond conventional teaching and become engines of practical solutions to the social and economic problems confronting the state.
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Oloyede made the call at the opening of the fourth conference of the Consortium of Universities in Kwara State, KU8+, held at Summit University, Offa. The gathering brought together university administrators, academics, researchers, policymakers, government representatives and industry stakeholders to deliberate on collaboration, innovation and the wider impact of higher education.
The former JAMB registrar, who serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of KU8+, said universities should function as the developmental “brain box” of Kwara State by using research and innovation to anticipate emerging problems and formulate workable responses.
He argued that institutions of higher learning should not restrict their mandate to teaching students and awarding degrees. Rather, they should contribute meaningfully to policymaking and offer evidence-based recommendations capable of helping governments plan for future challenges.
Oloyede also stressed the importance of political neutrality within universities. According to him, institutions must remain apolitical so that they can provide objective counsel to governments and serve as credible mediators when political disagreements arise.
Turning to agriculture, the former university administrator urged KU8+ institutions to exploit the concentration of agricultural and rural-development agencies in Kwara State. He pointed to organisations such as the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute, Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute, Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority and National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation as potential partners.
He said stronger collaboration between universities and these institutions could generate innovations capable of improving agricultural productivity, strengthening food security and stimulating economic expansion in the state.
Oloyede further challenged the universities to investigate ways of reviving industries that once contributed significantly to Kwara’s economy. He cited the Bacita Sugar Company, Jebba Paper Mill and Tobacco Company as examples of major industrial establishments whose decline had weakened the state’s economic fortunes.
Rather than merely documenting the causes of industrial decline, he urged the universities to research fresh opportunities around the affected sectors and develop ideas that could help reinvent the state’s industrial landscape.
He maintained that universities should anticipate problems instead of waiting until they become crises, stressing that research ought to provide governments and communities with the foresight needed to prepare for emerging challenges.
The Olofa of Offa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye II, commended the KU8+ initiative, describing collaboration among the state’s universities as a promising route to greater collective achievement. He expressed optimism that the consortium’s programmes could contribute to producing highly competitive graduates.
The Vice-Chancellor of Summit University, Offa, Prof. Abiodun Aibinu, reaffirmed his institution’s commitment to research, innovation and strategic partnerships aimed at tackling national and global challenges.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin and Chairman of KU8+, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, described the consortium as a strategic alliance designed to promote knowledge sharing and collective action. He noted that universities could no longer afford to operate in isolation if they were to respond effectively to the changing needs of society.
Delivering the keynote address, former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Emeritus Professor Peter A. Okebukola, urged African universities to progress from merely consuming artificial intelligence technologies to developing AI solutions tailored to the continent’s peculiar needs.
He proposed the establishment of an AI hub under KU8+ where researchers and experts from different disciplines could collaborate on tools and applications capable of addressing practical challenges.
Emeritus Professor Olugbemiro Jegede also called for deeper academic integration among the consortium’s institutions. He proposed a credit transfer arrangement that would enable students to move more easily between participating universities while continuing their studies.
The conference ultimately underscored a growing expectation that universities should become more deeply woven into the economic and social fabric of their host communities. For Kwara State, the challenge now lies in translating the wealth of academic expertise across its universities into research, innovation and policies capable of producing tangible development.
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