Alhaji Mohammed Idris, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Blueprint Media has tasked authorities of Nigerian Universities to develop immunity against the scourge of incessant industrial actions which he said was killing the nation’s university system.

This is just as the Pro Chancellor and Chairman of the University of Lagos Governing Council, Dr. Wale Babalakin challenged Nigerian universities to work towards attaining the list of 100 top universities in the world within the next five years. Idris gave the task at the 3rd University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) annual Registry lecture series with the theme “Public Service Rules and University Administration: Re-Engineering for Excellence”.

The lecture was delivered by the Head of Service of the federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita and the event also coincided with the appointment of Dr. Fola Olowolene as the new Registrar of the institution.

Campusbiz, a Nigeria University News Journal reported that Alhaji Idris, who was represented by the Managing Editor, Blueprint Media, Clement Oluwole, and also the Special Guest of honour, however praised the university management for being a leading light in the nation’s educational firmament even as he announced the donation of N1 million to support its annual lecture series.

“I referred to the University of Ilorin as the leading light because of the institution’s immunity to the scourge of strikes that has been afflicting our academic environment since the 80s. it is the inability of the plague to penetrate the fortress of this institution that has made it a preferred destination for admission seekers from different parts of the country,” he stated.

In his address, Babalakin, who was the chairman of the occasion, called for review of laws guiding Nigerian universities every ten years for them to meet up with contemporary challenges.

The guest speaker, represented by the director, Organization Design and Strategy, Ben Omugo, decried what she called “non and weak enforcement of laws” as major problem facing public sectors including universities.