Nigeria President Bola Tinubu on Saturday disclosed that the country’s socioeconomic challenges present an opportunity for his administration to embrace innovation that would grow the economy.
This is as a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, called on the federal government to include students of private universities among the beneficiaries of its Students’ Loan Scheme, to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal.
President Tinubu while speaking at the 47th convocation ceremony of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, said his administration would take bold decisions to revive the education sector in the country.
The president, who was represented by the Minister of State for Education, Yusuf Sununu, promised that the government would invest more in education and research to make Nigerian graduates contribute significantly to tackling the myriad of challenges facing the nation.
He said: “As a government, we cannot pretend that our nation is not facing myriad challenges, including poverty, inflation, insecurity, political instability, and infrastructural deficiency.
“These challenges may seem daunting, but they also present opportunities for innovation and growth. Our graduates and the university system have the potential to make a significant contribution to addressing these challenges and creating a better future for all.
“Countries and organisations that invest in education, research, and innovation are more likely to succeed in the global market; we must continue to invest in education and research to ensure that our graduates remain competitive in a fast-changing world.
“I want to assure you that our government will take a holistic approach towards strengthening the education system. We will invest more in education at all levels and take holistic action to reposition Nigerian universities to be more globally competitive.
“We will address some of the root causes of trade union strikes in universities and tertiary institutions and their attendant wanton waste of students’ time.”
Addressing the graduands, the Chancellor of the university, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, who is the Etsu Nupe said, “A nation’s future depends on its human resources. The knowledge, skills, and capacity of its people are essential to its well-being, sustainability, growth, and development.
“However, we live with uncertainty about our futures. The world is full of conflict, and our horizons are constantly changing. You have developed special skills through your university education at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. Your university education has built a solid foundation for you to succeed.”
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simeon Bamire urged the federal government to intervene in the University power project to ensure that it does not become an abandoned project.
Dogara Calls for Inclusion of Private Varsity Students in Loan Scheme
Meanwhile, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dogara, has called on the federal government to include students of private universities among the beneficiaries of its Students’ Loan Scheme, to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal.
Dogara who stated this at the 13th convocation ceremony of Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State said there was a need for the government to ensure the students’ loan scheme was properly managed for the benefit of the teeming youths across the country, both in private and public tertiary institutions.
The former Speaker who is also the Chancellor of the institution said: “Let me appeal to the federal government to consider the plight being faced by students of tertiary institutions. While commending the Students’ Loan Scheme of this present administration, I join my voice in the call for the inclusion of private university students in the Students’ Loan Scheme of this administration as part of the palliative measures since they are also Nigerians.
“I have said before that poverty is by far the greatest threat to our democracy. Those who doubted me have seen that threat manifest itself in vote buying and in the use of money to compromise electoral and security officials. On account of the sense of despondency and powerlessness that poverty breeds amongst the poor, the poor have and will always remain ever-ready tools in the hands of tyrants and demagogues, who in the course of history have always found it easy to mobilise to subvert democratic institutions.
“Since underemployment and unemployment are bedmates of poverty, eliminating them must be the focal point of government’s policies. If we don’t ever make it to the point where we can have a rational conversation about economic justice, it would not be because it’s impossible to achieve but because we lack the right leadership. We have talked so much about ending so many things in Nigeria, now is the time to talk about creating wealth and ending poverty,” he stressed.
He also called on President Tinubu to resist the temptation to continue blaming others for the country’s national decay but rather concentrate on the solutions he promised.
Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo, Fidelis David in Akure and Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi
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