The Chancellor of Covenant University, Ota in Ogun State, Dr Bishop David Oyedepo, has advised universities in Nigeria to invest more in research to proffer solutions to numerous challenges confronting the country.

Oyedepo gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Ota, Ogun.

He said that universities should be solution centres, with life-applicable solution outputs that would solve problems in Nigeria and other nations of Africa.

The chancellor said that it was time for universities to arise and begin to wage intellectual wars against social vices with all zeal and zest.

Oyedepo said that the country needs to begin to see the dividends of university education.

“No institution loses value until it stops solving problems.

“Also, the relevance of any university is in the problem it solves,” he said.

Oyedepo said that the ability of universities to make huge investment in research would help to solve the country’s challenges and proffer solutions to myriads of global problems.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to embark on indefinite strike over failure of the Federal Government to honour the 2009 aggrement reached with it.

Prof. Timothy Namo, the Bauchi Zonal Coordinator of the union said this during a news conference on Friday in Jos.

Namo said that the union after its National Executive Council (NEC) held between Aug. 17 and Aug. 18, issued a 21-day ultimatum.

“As we speak, government has not honoured any of the agreements or address our concerns.

“At the expiration of the 21-day ultimatum, we again issued another 14-day ultimatum that commenced from Sept. 23.

“So, we want Nigerians to blame the federal government if ASUU decide to down tools and shut down public universities,” he said.

Namo highlighted the lingering issues to include, non conclusion of the re-negotiation of the 2009 agreement, non release of the three-and-half month salaries of academic staff, unpaid salaries of all academic staff on adjunct appointment and outstanding third-party deductions.

Other lingering issues he said were, poor funding for the revitalisation of public universities, none payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) as captured in the 2023 budget, proliferation of universities, non implementation of the reports of visitation panels to universities, among others.

Gov. Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, on Thursday, announced free education for students of senior secondary in public schools in the state.

Soludo made the announcement in Awka while meeting with principals and head teachers in public primary and secondary schools.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on Sept. 21, 2023, the governor announced free and compulsory education from nursery to junior secondary in public schools in line with his solution-free education policy.

Against this backdrop, the governor while meeting with principals and head teachers in public schools stated that from next week, the free education policy would be available to students of senior secondary in public schools.

He said this would further increase children’s access to education and ensure the effective development of their personality, talents, mental and physical abilities.

“I want to assure you that even with the resource constraint; our administration will continue to work very hard to deliver on its mandate.

“I’m giving a directive that students in senior classes, who have already paid their N5,000 tuition fees for this term should be refunded,’’ he said.

He reiterated his administration’s dedication to human capital development and promised to continue making strides in this area.

Soludo also said that the government would commence payment of the N70, 000 minimum wage in October.

“We remain committed to investing in our people and this new minimum wage and free education initiative are testaments to our resolve.

“This move is expected to have a significant impact on the lives of workers and students in Anambra, improving their standard of living and access to quality education,’’ he said.