The Chairman, Senate Committee on Education, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, at the weekend urged universities to research into making the country spend less on the importation of goods and services.

He added that they could be made available in the country.

Chukwumerije said the only way tertiary institutions could justify their existence was through investment in research work relevant to the needs of Nigerians and other Africans.

The committee members were in the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) on oversight functions.

Other members of the committee that visited the institution were Senators Olusola Adeyeye, (Vice Chairman), Pius Ewherido and Abubakar Bugudu.

Chukwumerije said: “What we have seen at UNILORIN showed that the leadership is highly focused, especially by the quality of the services rendered. I hope they will keep it up. But as Adeyeye said, we want more work on research from our universities to make them fulfil more of their mandate.”

He said members of the committee were not out to engage in the witch-hunt of the authorities of the institution. “We are partners in progress.”

He added that the necessity to improve on education quality in Nigeria should be a “national challenge.”

While praising the university for keeping a serene environment and running a decade of uninterrupted academic calendar, the senator said the nation should engender the spirit of excellence and healthy rivalries among its universities to get the best out of them.

Adeyeye canvassed for computerisation of more departments of the nation’s universities to accelerate the processing of the results of students, adding that they should get access to their results “at least three weeks” after their exams.

He said more research work should be carried out on health-related issues, especially in the area of sickle cell peculiar to Nigerians and Africans.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Abdulganiyu Ambali, said the second generation university, despite its uninterrupted academic sessions, still receives lesser allocations from the Federal Government in comparison with other universities of similar status.

He put the population of students of the institution at about 30,000, and said the school could only accommodate 3,000 on the campus, representing a mere 10 per cent of the total population.

Prof. Ambali added that UNILORIN would require assistance in the area of security.