Funmi Olaitan, Ibadan

Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), University of Ibadan, Mr Adeyinka Aderinto, has called on alumni of public varsities in the country to assist and support in meeting infrastructure and funding needs of their alma mata.

He said world class universities attained their present statuses owing largely to the contributions of their alumni in infrastructural development, endowments and funding, stating that if alumni wakes up to their responsibilities, Nigerian varsities will be better.

The DVC made the call when the 1988 set of the Department of Sociology, University of Ibadan, presented N500,000 to the 54-year old department for upgrading the postgraduate classroom as part of activities lined up to mark the 30th anniversary of their graduation.

Aderinto who led four other members of the set Mr Wole Atere, Mr. Gbenga Adediji and Mr Niyi Bello, to make the presentation, urged graduates of Nigerian universities to return to their schools and assist in the delivery of quality education to modern learners.

He said, "The likes of Havard, Yale, London School Economics did not get to their present world class positions by joke. They benefit largely from the support of their alumni. We cannot sit back and watch our institutions go into state of disrepair without ploughing back to where we were made. We promise to make this annual contribution as long as we live and we hope to rally more people to support Ibadan Sociology."

Head of Department of Sociology, Mr Ifeanyi Onyeonoru, while thanking the 1988 set for their support to the department, promised that the fund would be used judiciously to uplift the postgraduate classroom.

While noting that Nigerians give money in churches and mosques but not to public institutions, he called for a change in behaviour.

Also a professor of Development Studies, Mr Olanrewaju Olutayo, challenged those who have been insensitive to the needs of their former schools to wake up to give back to their schools to enrich the standards of education similar to that which they enjoyed.