Rethink Reliance On Govt Funding, Tinubu Urges Stakeholders

President Bola Tinubu has called on stakeholders to join his administration in addressing the challenges facing tertiary education in Nigeria, particularly in the area of funding.

The President emphasised that while the Federal Government does not intend to abdicate its responsibilities to higher educational institutions, it is time for all stakeholders to reassess the traditional model of relying heavily on government funding and work towards rejigging the educational system for sustainable funding.

Tinubu made this appeal on Saturday during his address at the 36th convocation ceremony of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, where 1,030 students were awarded postgraduate degrees.

A total of 1,717 students had received first degrees across the university’s 10 faculties.

The President, represented by the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Universities Commission, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, stressed that education cannot be left to the government alone, stating the need for collaboration among stakeholders.

“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,” Tinubu said.

He added that the connection between tertiary institutions and industry should be improved, noting that research outputs from universities should be impactful and readily usable by industries for mutual benefits.

“All over the world, funding of government-owned universities is a collective responsibility of all stakeholders,” he emphasised.

Addressing the graduates, Tinubu encouraged them to use their acquired knowledge 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,” he said.

The President expressed hope that the graduates would justify their new status through hard work, focus, patriotic citizenship, and commitment to national unity, peace, and progress.

In her remarks, FUTA Vice-Chancellor Prof. Adenike Oladiji said the university would continue to pursue its triple mandates of teaching, research, and community service with renewed vigour.

She noted that new academic programmes had been introduced to broaden the university’s impact on society, and existing programmes had been strengthened.

Oladiji noted that the university had undergone accreditation exercises by the National Universities Commission (NUC) for 18 programmes across different schools, with all presented programmes obtaining full accreditation status.

She also mentioned that the university had introduced top-up programmes, a bridge initiative for Higher National Diploma holders to earn bachelor’s degrees, offering 19 degree programmes across various schools.