Former Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, has said Nigerian public universities need to rethink their funding models and explore innovative sources of revenue to remain financially sustainable.

Olatunji-Bello, who completed her five-year tenure as LASU’s ninth Vice-Chancellor on September 19, 2026, stated this in an interview while reflecting on her administration’s achievements, challenges and vision for higher education.

She said one of the major challenges she met on assumption of office in 2021 was inadequate funding, noting that the university struggled with debts, poor infrastructure and insufficient resources for maintenance.

According to her, efforts were made to improve sanitation facilities, address flooding through improved drainage systems, complete inherited projects and secure accreditation for academic programmes.

Olatunji-Bello said her administration prioritised the completion of projects started by previous administrations, including hostel accommodation projects, despite rising construction costs.

Speaking on revenue generation, the former vice-chancellor disclosed that LASU’s Internally Generated Revenue increased from about N3bn to N13bn during her tenure.

She attributed the growth to digital innovations, new academic programmes, postgraduate courses, diploma programmes, consultancies, partnerships and improved university ventures.

“When I assumed office, our dedicated revenue was about N3bn. We introduced new programmes, expanded digital processes and explored legal means of generating income, which helped us increase revenue significantly,” she said.

Despite the increase in revenue, Olatunji-Bello said public universities still face significant financial pressures.

She noted that LASU’s monthly salary bill exceeds N1bn, while electricity costs amount to about N140m monthly, alongside expenses for security, environmental maintenance, diesel and other operational needs.

According to her, internally generated revenue alone is insufficient to cover the growing costs of running public universities.

“Any public university that wants to attain financial independence will have to charge school fees of not less than N1m per student. You cannot have academic excellence without paying for it,” she said.

The former vice-chancellor stressed that universities could improve their financial sustainability through innovation, efficient management of resources and expansion of legitimate income sources.

She also highlighted the university’s progress in digital transformation, noting that major processes, including admissions, screening and certificate collection, have been digitised.

According to her, LASU introduced instant certificate verification systems and strengthened research through grants, collaborations and intellectual property protection.

Olatunji-Bello said the university secured a N3bn TETFund Centre of Excellence grant and established internal research support mechanisms for staff.

On artificial intelligence, she revealed that LASU developed and implemented an AI policy approved by the university Senate in July 2022.

The policy, she explained, promotes the ethical use of artificial intelligence tools and requires proper referencing of AI-assisted work.

“We encourage the use of AI, but it must be ethical and properly cited. The policy covers tools, perception and documentation,” she said.

She noted that LASU also strengthened its plagiarism and research ethics policies to ensure originality and maintain research standards.

On student accommodation, Olatunji-Bello said LASU currently has a student population of about 85,000 across full-time, part-time and postgraduate programmes, while available hostel spaces accommodate about 8,000 students.

She explained that hostel allocation is based on priority and availability, noting that accommodation challenges are not peculiar to LASU.

Reflecting on industrial harmony during her tenure, the former vice-chancellor said regular engagement and open communication with staff unions helped the university avoid major strikes.

She revealed that her doctoral research on industrial actions in Nigerian universities informed her approach to labour relations.

Olatunji-Bello identified the completion of a world-class central research laboratory as one of the projects she could not achieve before leaving office.

She also called on the Lagos State Government to complete ongoing projects, including the university’s Innovation Hub and other major infrastructure developments.

On university rankings, she said LASU maintained its position as one of the leading universities in West Africa in sustainability rankings under the UI GreenMetric World University Rankings during her tenure.

She expressed optimism that future administrations would continue to build on the institution’s achievements.