Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto
President Bola Tinubu yesterday promised to increase funding for the universities, pledging also that his administration would prioritise the acquisition of skills, technology, and vocational education to create more job opportunities for Nigerians.
He stated that his administration is establishing skills and innovation hubs in polytechnics as well as entrepreneurship centres across the country.
Tinubu stated this during the 38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st convocation ceremonies for over 22,000 graduates at Usman Danfodiyo University in Sokoto.
Represented by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, the president promised that his government would increase funding to public universities in the country.
In his words: “We strongly believe that our survival can always be assured by the quality of human capital development, which is why we make education one of the top priorities of this administration.
“While supporting all aspects of education, this administration will lay more emphasis on skills, technology, and vocational education as co-drivers of the educational system that prepares graduates for employment or better fulfillment as employers of labour.
“For this purpose, in the first phase of the programme, the government is building 24 skills and vocational hubs in polytechnics as well as entrepreneurship centres in our universities.
“We are also building vocational schools in secondary schools across the country to ensure that all levels of education enjoy the impact of our policy.
“We are set to inaugurate Private Sector Innovation Enterprise Centres across the country to deliver on the skill acquisition programme of the government.
“As a government, we are also determined in our effort to continue to support the upgrade of infrastructure, teaching materials, and research equipment in our universities, which the need assessment of Nigeria’s public universities is addressing.
“As part of the administration’s commitment to ensuring that universities are strengthened and reinvigorated for the fulfillment of their mandate, hence the lifting of the tertiary institutions from the IPPS platform of research, the increase of allocation to the educational sector in our preparation for the year 2024, and the operationalisation of the student’s loan scheme and others,” he added.
He maintained that students will soon access the student loan.
“Universities are therefore expected to define their roles and carve out a niche for themselves by designing programmes that will assist the government in poverty reduction, creating employment opportunities, health promotion, the application of 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.
“The universities are strongly advised or encouraged to run industries to develop their research output into products for our community,” the president added.
The president urged the graduates to optimally utilise the knowledge and the skills they acquired for self-development and the overall benefits of the nation.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Bilbis Suleiman Lawal, thanked the president for his contribution to the development of the university.
