Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has called on Nigerian universities to broaden their global presence by enrolling international students, stressing that this could significantly ease financial pressures on government and improve funding for higher education.
Gbajabiamila made the appeal on Tuesday while delivering a lecture at the first annual public lecture series of Osun State University in Osogbo.
The lecture, themed “Interrogating the Funding of Education: Global versus Nigerian Perspectives,” examined the funding challenges facing the education sector.
Highlighting global practices, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives noted that many universities across the world rely on tuition from foreign students to support their operations and reduce the financial burden on their governments. He said Nigeria could benefit from adopting a similar approach.
He expressed concern over the growing strain on public universities, especially as nearly two million applicants seek admission annually, with limited spaces and funding to accommodate them.
“We must continue to believe in the right of every Nigerian to access university education, but we must also confront the hard truth—without urgent and innovative reforms in funding, public universities risk becoming degree factories rather than centres of knowledge and innovation,” he warned.
Gbajabiamila emphasized that with over 130 public universities nationwide, neither the federal nor state governments can continue to shoulder the financial burden alone.
He encouraged institutions to develop alternative income streams, particularly by positioning themselves to attract paying students from abroad.
“Our universities should aim to improve their visibility globally and become appealing to foreign students who can afford to pay higher fees—fees that may be difficult to impose on local students due to political or economic constraints,” he said.
He also urged Nigerian university leaders and education policymakers to learn from other African nations such as Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa, which have successfully drawn international students, including a significant number of Nigerians.
Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, who also spoke at the event, praised the university’s decision to initiate the lecture series, describing it as a platform for critical engagement on key educational matters.
“I am pleased with the knowledge shared today and the insightful contributions from the guest speaker. This lecture series is clearly a worthwhile initiative that will enrich policymaking in our education sector,” Adeleke said.
