Ex-JAMB Registrar Tasks Kwara Universities on Solutions to Socio-economic Challenges

Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the immediate past Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has urged universities in Kwara State to become the developmental brain box of the state by using research and innovation to address its socio-economic challenges.

Oloyede, who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Consortium of Universities in Kwara State (KU8+), made the call on Friday at the opening of the fourth KU8+ Conference held at Summit University, Offa.

The conference brought together university administrators, academics, researchers, policymakers, government officials, industry leaders and other stakeholders to discuss collaboration, research, innovation and the role of higher education in national development.

Speaking at the event, Oloyede said universities should go beyond teaching and awarding degrees by actively contributing to policymaking and developing practical solutions to challenges facing their host communities.

He said universities should anticipate emerging challenges and support governments with research, innovation and evidence-based recommendations.

According to him, universities must also remain apolitical and provide objective advice to governments, noting that their neutrality would enable them to serve as credible mediators during political disagreements.

Oloyede recalled that during his tenure as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, he once declined an appointment as a presiding officer during a national election because of his belief that universities should maintain political neutrality.

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The former JAMB Registrar also urged universities in Kwara State to collaborate with agricultural research and development institutions in the state to improve productivity, food security and economic growth.

He identified institutions including 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 organisations whose expertise could complement the universities’ research capacity.

Oloyede noted that agriculture remains one of Kwara’s major economic strengths and called on the KU8+ institutions to develop partnerships that could produce innovative solutions for the sector.

He also challenged the universities to explore research-driven strategies for reviving some of the state’s moribund industries, including the Bacita Sugar Company, Jebba Paper Mill and the Tobacco Company.

He said universities should research new opportunities around the abandoned industries and develop ideas that could help reposition Kwara’s economy.

Oloyede further urged the institutions to focus on anticipating future challenges rather than waiting until problems emerge before seeking solutions.

He commended the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin and Chairman of KU8+, Professor Wahab Egbewole, SAN, for initiating the consortium.

However, he clarified that he was not the founder of KU8+, explaining that while the University of Ilorin pioneered collaborative initiatives such as AWAU and U6+ during his tenure as vice-chancellor, the KU8+ initiative was conceived under Egbewole’s administration.

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The Olofa of Offa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye II, also commended the consortium, describing it as an initiative capable of strengthening collaboration among universities in Kwara State.

The monarch expressed optimism that the consortium’s joint programmes would contribute to producing highly skilled graduates and improving the quality of education in the state.

The Vice-Chancellor of Summit University, Offa, Professor Abiodun Aibinu, welcomed participants and reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to research, innovation, academic excellence and strategic partnerships.

Egbewole described KU8+ as a strategic alliance designed to reposition higher education through collective action, knowledge sharing and collaboration, stressing that universities could no longer operate in isolation if they were to effectively respond to emerging societal challenges.

The Chairman of the occasion and Commandant of the Navy College of Health Sciences, Offa, Commodore Ogbeche Ochagu, commended the consortium for promoting partnerships among universities and encouraged the institutions to sustain initiatives that translate research and innovation into practical solutions.

Delivering the keynote address, former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Emeritus Professor Peter A. Okebukola, urged African universities to move beyond consuming artificial intelligence technologies and begin developing AI solutions tailored to the continent’s unique needs.

Okebukola called on the KU8+ Consortium to establish an AI hub that would bring researchers and experts from different disciplines together to develop innovative tools for various sectors.

He said such an initiative could strengthen research, address societal challenges, and position the consortium as a leading force in artificial intelligence development in Nigeria and Africa.