President Bola Tinubu has called on stakeholders to join his administration in addressing the challenges facing tertiary education in the country, particularly in the area of funding.
The President noted that education could not be left to the government alone, emphasising the need for collaboration among stakeholders.
He made the call on Saturday during his address at the 36th convocation ceremony of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, where no fewer than 1,030 students were awarded postgraduate degrees.
Earlier, on Friday, a total of 1,717 students received first degrees across the university’s 10 faculties.
Tinubu, represented by the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Universities Commission, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, said while the government would continue to support tertiary education funding, it remained a collective responsibility.
He said, ‘While the Federal Government does not have any intention of abdicating its responsibilities to higher educational institutions, the time has come for all stakeholders to take another look at the erstwhile model of absolute reliance on government for funding and rejig the educational system for sustainable funding.
‘It is also very pertinent to emphasise that the interconnection between our tertiary institutions and industry should be improved. Research outputs from our tertiary institutions should be impactful, enabling industries to readily make use of them for mutual benefits.
‘All over the world, funding of government-owned universities is a collective responsibility of all stakeholders’.
The President also urged academics to conduct research that would meaningfully address the country’s challenges.
Addressing the graduates, Tinubu encouraged them to use the knowledge acquired at the institution to contribute to Nigeria’s economic development.
‘I believe that you have all been adequately prepared to confront the challenges in the competitive labour market. I enjoin you to deploy your proficiency in diverse entrepreneurial activities, agriculture, ICT skills, and basic scientific knowledge to create jobs in your respective fields and be self-reliant.
‘The government is equally hopeful that you will defend your new status as graduates through consistent hard work, increased focus, patriotic citizenship, and unalloyed commitment to national unity, peace, and progress’, the President charged.
In her remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of FUTA, Professor Adenike Oladiji, said the university would continue to pursue its tripodal mandates of teaching, research, and community service with unrelenting fervour.
‘New vistas were opened through academic programmes introduced to broaden and deepen the university’s impact on society. FUTA ensured that existing programmes remained robust while also foraying into new fields.
‘During the academic session under review, National Universities Commission (NUC) teams visited the university between 10th November and 15th December 2024 to conduct the October/November 2024 undergraduate programme accreditation exercise for 18 programmes across different schools.
‘I am glad to inform this noble assembly that FUTA received the results of the exercise, and all the programmes presented obtained full accreditation status. To widen access to university education, the University Senate introduced Top-Up programmes, a bridge initiative for Higher National Diploma holders to earn bachelor’s degrees. The programme, which commenced in the 2024/2025 academic session, now offers 19 degree programmes across various schools’.
