By Umar Usman
President Bola Ahmad Tinubu has challenged universities to advance knowledge based solutions to raging socio economic and security instability in the country.
Essentially, President Tinubu wanted the academia to justify their intellectual scholarship towards reduction of poverty, creation of jobs, and promoting sustainable development.
The President spoke on Saturday at the grand finale of 38th convocation ceremony at Bayero university, Kano.
Tinubu who was represented by Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman encouraged universities to upscale their research output into productivity that advance industries in the country.
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“Universities are therefore expected to define their roles and carve out a niche for themselves by designing program that will assist government in poverty reduction, creating employment opportunities, health promotion.
” We must also apply new technologies in the advancement of knowledge and prosperity, protecting the environment, promoting sustainable development as well as sustaining democracy and good governance. Without missing out on the quest towards the attainment of global sustainable development goals”.
Also, President Tinubu said a renewed commitment to revive the 970 Tsangaya integrated schools has been completed to cater for needs of out of school children in Northern Nigeria.
The revitalization of Tsangaya schools, may reactive integrated education system of Almagiria system including the N15 billion Integrated centres established by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2012 now abandon.
Why assuring his readiness to improve investment at all levels of education, Tinubu said special focus will be mounted on skill acquisition, technology and vocational education as core drivers of his administration’s policy.
On his part, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio pledged the national assembly’s commitment to support Federal government’s policy on education. He said the Senate under his leadership will run a people centric legislature that improve on the lives of Nigerians.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor, Bayero University, Professor Sagir Adamu Abbas appealed to the federal government to rescue the university from energy supply challenge and security threat rising from lack of perimeter fencing at the main campus of the institution.
11, 240 students, comprising under graduate and postgraduate as well as students of Dangote Business School graduated at the 2021/2022 session.
Also, the university awarded President of African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina and Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibril with honorary doctorate degrees of Business administration and Law respectively for their contribution to national development.
The President emphazied that to actualize the plan, preparation is concluded to build 24 skill and vocational hubs in public polytechnics as well as entrepreneurship centres in some universities.
