President Bola Tinubu, on Saturday, acknowledged the ongoing transformation at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), under the Vice Chancellor, Prof Simon Ortuanya.
Tinubu observed while delivering his speech as the Visitor to the UNN, during the institution’s 55th convocation. According to him, UNN under Ortuanya had keyed into the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda through infrastructure improvements. He said, “The Federal Government recognizes the important role that the University of Nigeria continues to play in advancing national development.
“I observed that the University of Nigeria has keyed into the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government. The improvements in infrastructure, research output, global visibility, digital transformation and institutional governance are commendable and worthy of recognition.
“I commend the Governing Council, led by the Pro-Chancellor, Prof. Adegboyega Adebayo Karim, and the Management Team led by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simon Uchenna Ortuanya, for the remarkable progress the University has recorded in the past one year.”
Represented by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin, Prof Edoba Omoregie, the President charged Nigerian universities to provide evidence-based solutions to the challenges facing the country. He identified insecurity, food insecurity, climate change and technology lag among the major issues confronting the country, and said the government was looking up to universities for solutions.
He stressed that his administration had made efforts to ensure that no young Nigerian was denied higher education owing to economic background. He said the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, has provided opportunity for more young Nigerians to acquire higher education.
The President assured Nigerians that his administration would “continue to provide opportunities for Nigerian students through the Students’ Loan Scheme, managed by the Nigerian Educational Loan Fund (NELFUND).
“The scheme is making higher education more accessible to deserving young Nigerians regardless of their financial background. This initiative reflects our conviction that no qualified Nigerian should be denied access to education because of economic circumstances.”
He further stated that through the TETFund, the government would continue to prioritize increased investment in infrastructure, staff development and support for research and innovation, and promote curriculum reforms.
“Our goal is to ensure that our higher institutions produce graduates who are not only employable but are also capable of creating employment and driving economic transformation,” he declared.
While expressing commitment towards improving the welfare and capacity of academic and non-teaching staff through better pay packages, reforms that encourage professional development, research excellence and institutional stability, Tinubu challenged Nigerian universities to live up to their calling.
“Our country is facing numerous challenges -insecurity, food insecurity, climate change, technology lag, among others. We are looking up to the universities to provide evidence-based advice and innovative solutions to these problems.
“Research outputs from our universities should move from the shelves to industries where they are needed and should translate into policies that shape our developmental priorities.
President Tinubu equally confirmed that the National Youths Service Corps, NYSC, was being reformed to be “skill and entrepreneurship-oriented and technology-driven.”
Chancellor of the University, His Majesty Oba Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, in his speech, noted that the enduring strength of the University lay in its ability to meet contemporary challenges. He added that there were deliberate efforts to improve infrastructure, strengthen academic programmes, embrace digital transformation, enhance research, promote innovation and improve security.
The Ooni hailed President Bola Tinubu-led administration for its continued support for public universities. In his address, the UNN Vice Chancellor, Prof Simon Ortuanya said the institution had remained committed to an environment where scholarship flourishes, ideas are encouraged, and excellence becomes an institutional culture rather than an occasional achievement.
He said in that direction, the University had recorded remarkable progress “in strengthening the quality, relevance and competitiveness of our academic programmes”.
Ortuanya added that the University had continued to strengthen its policy architecture in areas such as research, public-private partnerships, information and communication technology, internationalisation and institutional collaborations.
“The foregoing explains why within its first year, this administration has initiated over 100 strategic projects across Nsukka, Enugu and Ituku-Ozalla campuses,” the Vice Chancellor disclosed.
At the convocation ceremony for the conferment of postgraduate diplomas, higher degrees, title of professor emeritus and award of honourary degrees, there were 2,994 higher degrees, comprising 1,390 Ph.Ds, 1,340 MSc and 214 postgraduate diplomas.
President Tinubu’s wife, Oluremi Tinubu, bagged a Doctor of Public Administration (Honoris Causa) during the convocation. Other honourary doctorate awardees included High Chief Williams Agbo (Doctor of Business Administration, Honoris Causa), and Arc. Kaycee-Kelechi Orji (Doctor of Business Administration, Honoris Causa). Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State was represented at the event by his Deputy, Barr Ifeanyi Ossai.
