Tell a Tale

As the country grapples with failing oil prices, Vice Chancellor, University of Port Harcourt, Professor Joseph Ajienka, has warned that except public universities are allowed to increase school fees, they may soon collapse due to poor funding. According to him, the present scenario where the university system continues to strain under the weight of underfunding from statutory sources, and indifference from society at large no longer makes sense. While briefing newsmen on activities lined up to mark the university’s 30th convocation ceremony, and the 40th anniversary of the school, Ajienka asserted that universities in Nigeria today were bogged down by a combination of factors that place additional operational burden on their operators, especially the vice chancellors, who are on the frontline. He said it was now obvious that critically needed funding was dwindling by the day, in the face of failing oil prices, while the average cost of running each university is correspondi...