By Enitan Abel Johngold
IBADAN — The Chairman of the 2026 University of Ibadan Alumni Association Annual Public Service Lecture, Chief Bayo Oyero, has called on the University of Ibadan (UI) to establish an independent endowment fund capable of investing in properties, financial markets and other income-generating assets to strengthen the institution’s financial sustainability.
Oyero, a past President of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) and an alumnus of the university, made the call at the 2026 Annual Public Service Lecture of the University of Ibadan Alumni Association, held in Ibadan.
The lecture, themed “First and Best — But Whose Capital Built It? Rethinking How Nigeria Funds Its Own Future,” was delivered by the Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Dr. Emomotimi John Agama.
Oyero said the university should begin to look beyond conventional funding sources and deliberately develop its own pool of permanent capital that could generate returns to support its academic and infrastructural needs.
He proposed that the university establish an endowment fund separate from the existing Alumni Endowment Fund, with the new fund invested strategically in properties and other viable assets capable of generating sustainable returns.
According to him, such an arrangement would enable the university to build a stronger financial base while reducing its dependence on government allocations and periodic interventions.
Oyero also called for greater financial literacy among young Nigerians, urging the organisers and stakeholders to extend the conversation on capital formation to the younger generation.
He said young Nigerians should be encouraged to begin investing early through legitimate financial-market instruments, including shares and stocks, so that they could participate directly in wealth creation and build financial security for the future.
The Chairman further called for stronger collaboration and unity between the University management and the University of Ibadan Alumni Association, stressing that the alumni body had contributed significantly to the development of the institution.
He said the relationship between the university and its alumni should be strengthened to enable both sides to work together more effectively in mobilising resources and developing sustainable projects for the institution.
The call for a new approach to financing the university was reinforced by the Guest Lecturer, Dr. Agama, who argued that Nigerian institutions must learn to convert existing pools of capital into productive long-term investments.
In his lecture, Agama noted that Nigeria was not necessarily short of capital, but lacked sufficient investable institutions and instruments capable of attracting and deploying long-term funds.
He argued that universities, including the University of Ibadan, could explore instruments such as professionally managed endowments, bonds and sukuk, student accommodation investment vehicles, research and innovation funds, and diaspora investment structures.
The SEC Director-General said the University of Ibadan had an opportunity to demonstrate that a Nigerian public institution could meet the transparency, governance and accountability standards required to attract long-term investment.
He particularly challenged the university and its alumni to move from a culture of giving and consumption to one of capitalisation, where resources are invested in ways that generate sustainable income for future generations.
Agama also urged the alumni to consider establishing a professionally managed University of Ibadan Alumni Capital Fund, with an independent trustee and licensed fund manager, a published investment policy and an annual spending rule that would protect the principal while allowing the university to benefit from investment income.
He said such an initiative could enable the alumni to build a permanent financial asset for the university rather than relying solely on one-off donations for individual projects.
The Guest Lecturer further argued that the university’s long-term infrastructure needs could be matched with long-term capital through properly structured capital-market instruments.
He cited student accommodation as one area where the university could potentially develop an income-generating investment vehicle, noting that the shortage of accommodation had created a substantial rental market around the university.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Acting President of the University of Ibadan Alumni Association, Prof. Terrumun Hembaor Gajir, said the theme of the lecture was particularly relevant to Nigeria’s development challenges.
Gajir said Nigeria had enormous resources, an entrepreneurial population and a sophisticated professional class, but continued to face the fundamental challenge of mobilising capital to transform its potential into sustainable prosperity.
He said the financing of Nigeria’s future should not be regarded as the exclusive responsibility of economists, bankers, investors or regulators, but as an issue that concerned every Nigerian.
The Acting President challenged stakeholders to examine how domestic pools of capital—including pension funds, institutional investments, household savings and private capital—could be mobilised for productive national development.
He also asked how Nigeria could deepen domestic investment, reduce excessive dependence on external capital and ensure that Nigerians became meaningful owners of the economic future they were helping to build.
Gajir described the University of Ibadan as a major institution in Nigeria’s history, noting that its alumni had served the country and the world across virtually every sphere of human endeavour.
He said the Alumni Association had a responsibility to create platforms through which major national questions could be interrogated and practical solutions developed.
Welcoming Dr. Agama to the lecture, Gajir described the SEC as a pivotal institution in Nigeria’s financial architecture, particularly in efforts to develop an efficient and credible capital market capable of mobilising long-term funds for economic development.
He urged participants to listen to the lecture with open minds, engage in constructive debate and consider practical actions that could contribute to building a Nigeria where capital is productively mobilised, institutions are trusted, enterprise is rewarded and citizens participate meaningfully in economic growth.
The lecture brought together alumni of the University of Ibadan, members of the university community, government and regulatory officials, private-sector representatives, financial-sector stakeholders and other invited guests.
The central message of the event was the need for a shift from dependence on periodic government funding and consumption of resources towards deliberate capital formation, investment and ownership of productive assets.
The discussion also placed the University of Ibadan at the centre of a broader national conversation on how Nigerian institutions can mobilise domestic capital to finance long-term development.