Visitor to the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), President Muhammadu Buhari, has called on Nigerian universities and other institutions of learning to reposition themselves and encourage education for sustainable development.
Buhari made the call at the 27th Convocation of the university recently.
Buhari, who was represented by the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof Julius Okojie described universities as potential, powerful agents of change and urged them to take the lead in championing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address education-related issues for national development.
He said the SDGs are a new set of goals, target and indicators that the United Nations (UN) member states have collectively agreed to use to frame their agenda, aspirations and political policies over the next 15 years.
The president also enjoined universities to be at the vanguard of the fight against corruption and eroded ethics which constitute a major component of the social ills.
Reiterating government’s stand on “zero tolerance to corruption,” Buhari urged managers of higher institutions to continue to be prudent, transparent and accountable in the management of both human and material resources.
“Government is determined to fight corruption at all levels, including corruption in our tertiary Institutions. We cannot speak of effective and efficient funding of the education sector if our universities are mired in curses, confusion, fraud and lack of institutional vision,” he said.
The President charged the graduands to take advantage of various economic programmes of the Federal Government relevant to them and turn themselves into employers of labour.
He said: “Since the increased advocacy for entrepreneurship and its inclusion in the curriculum of universities by the National Universities Commission and its partners in the university system, higher institutions should henceforth strive to graduate students who are entrepreneurs and employers of labour.”
He called on all stakeholders in the education sector to ensure crisis-free campus and stable calendar, while charging FUTA to take the leadership in cutting-edge research and capacity-building at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Meanwhile, in separate addresses, the trio of the Chancellor, Dr Rilwanu Adamu, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, Dr Mohammed Shata and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Adebiyi Daramola urged the graduands to follow the path of honour, integrity and faithfulness as they continue in their journey of life.
The ceremony also witnessed the investiture the Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Adamu as the fourth Chancellor of the university.
He was also conferred with a Honorary Doctorate of Management of the Institution during the event.
Out of 4,435 graduands who were conferred with diplomas, first and postgraduate degrees at the ceremony, 28 undergraduates bagged first class, with Osakpolor Eki-Obakpolor of the Physics Electronics department emerging best graduating student with a cumulative GPA of 4.84; while the university graduated 73 doctor of philosophy (Ph.d) degrees, 743 Masters degrees, 829 postgraduate diplomas; 2,675 first degrees and 115 diplomas.
