Mr Tunji-Ojo said his ministry is determined to support genuine partnership drives among Nigeria's academic institutions and their foreign counterparts.
Nigeria's Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has revealed that a total of 99,985 Nigerian students enrolled in universities in the United Kingdom for various programmes between 2017 and 2022.
The minister, who quoted data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), however, noted that the exodus cannot be dismissed as completely antithetical to Nigeria's development.
He said what must be done to make the drift reciprocal would be to fix the nation's education system and address the security situation to also attract foreign students and staff for cross-border relationships and collaborations.
Mr Tunji-Ojo said this Monday at the opening ceremony of the international week conference of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka.
He said; "...While many may contend that majority of these students have simply 'JAPA' for other reasons, we cannot also deny the fact that a larger chunk of these students has left with the purest of intent, to cross our border, seek further knowledge for self-advancement, which in the long run will result to national pride.
"Every year, over 100 Nigerian students benefit from the scholarship for postgraduate and PhD degrees, I speak from students personally, we have hundreds of professionals and entrepreneurs, leaving our shores to break new grounds across our lands, and on our part, we must ensure that we play our part in the actualisation of their dreams. They carry our identity, one which not only aids their pursuit but also defines them."
Mr Tunji-Ojo said his ministry is determined to support genuine partnership drives among Nigeria's academic institutions and their foreign counterparts to ensure that the context of universality in the university system is sustained.
Nigeria now has 270 universities
Meanwhile, the National Universities Commission (NUC) has said Nigeria now has 270 universities across including those owned by the federal and state governments, and private bodies such as religious institutions and individuals.
The acting Executive Secretary of NUC, Chris Mayaki, who gave this figure at the International Week programme, noted that the theme of the conference: "Breaking the Borders of Partnership" is consistent with one of NUC's cardinal goals "which is to foster partnerships between the Nigerian university system, international development partners, and the private sector."
"Indeed, this is one of the issues that is of prime importance in the global higher education arena, in which the NUC is currently giving its utmost attention," he said.
TETFUND building partnerships
Speaking at the conference, the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Sonny Echono, said Nigeria as a country needs to embrace internationalisation to deepen the current efforts, partnerships and collaborations.
Mr Echono said TETFUND is building partnerships at home and abroad and has about 11 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) that have been executed.
Recently in Brazil, he said, Nigeria signed an MoU with a consortium of 4,044 Brazilian universities, "and we also had partnerships with 29 French universities, which has now been extended to other countries including the UK, the United States of America, India, Malaysia, China, and so on."
He said: "While we pursue the novel ideals of improving our ranking, we should also ensure that you can attract faculty of international blend to our universities in Nigeria. We should also increasingly admit foreign students into our faculties.
"But to accomplish this, we need to guarantee minimum disruptions to the academic calendar, We need to provide state-of-the-art facilities that will be comparable to what they have abroad ranging from our facilities, hostels, facilities for teaching and learning in our research."
Mr Echono added that with its capacity to attract partnerships, UNILAG will be one of TETFUND's beneficiaries of major programmes that will be introduced in 2024.
UNILAG's active international collaborations
In her remarks, the UNILAG Vice-Chancellor, Folasade Ogunsola, said the university has about 200 direct and active international collaborations and that it is part of several international and regional networks enabling linkages with African and other universities.
The universities include the African Multiple Cluster of Excellence (University of Bayreuth-led), African Engineering and Technology Focused Universities (AFRITEC), and African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA/GUILD) with a network of 16 universities.
Mrs Ogunsola noted that the university in the last couple of years, has seen an increase in the number of bilateral and multilateral arrangements with other international educational institutions especially in the United Kingdom and Africa.
"Through strategic partnerships, we have explored collaboration which encapsulates experience sharing around higher education management structure, co-creation of academic programmes and curriculum development," she noted.
University of Dundee VC hails UNILG
According to the keynote speaker, Iain Gillespie, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee, UK, the core purpose of universities is enhanced through partnership.
Mr Gillespie noted that to unlock the potential of higher education with partnerships, institutions, industry and policymakers across the globe must work together to address common challenges.
He said partnerships can bring together expertise and capacity and that they require genuine alignment of goals and equitable relationships to deliver meaningful impact.
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During the VCs dialogue session, Mrs Ogunsola and Mr Gillespie discussed university leadership and international partnerships, with the duo emphasising the need for impactful research collaborations.
Mr Gillespie shared that when the University of Dundee shifted focus from financial sustainability to academic excellence, it led to a surplus and investment in the institution.
He added that under his leadership, the university has prioritised research, teaching, and community engagement, to achieve a "triple intensity" of excellence in all areas.
About the Conference
The UNILAG International Week is an annual academic and policy-driven international convening which provides a forum for cross-fertilisation of ideas between industry and academia.
In its third edition, the weeklong programme provides a forum where issues of cross-border relationships, research collaborations, and foreign relations are discussed to enhance the quality of university education in the country.
According to the Director, International Relations, Partnerships and Prospects, Office of the Vice-Chancellor, UNILAG, Ismail Ibraheem, the forum is for institutions from the global North and South as well as within the global South to share thoughts on areas of strengths and weaknesses for possible important collaborations.
"It also provides a platform to discuss strategies that could assist Nigeria in benefiting from the opportunities of transnational education," he noted.
