UNN CONVOCATION: Provide solutions to insecurity, food scarcity, Tinubu tasks Academia

By Alumona Ukwueze
NSUKKA —-President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has challenged Nigerian universities to provide evidence-based solutions to the country’s pressing challenges, particularly insecurity and food scarcity.

He equally urged academic institutions to ensure that research findings translate into practical policies and industrial innovations.

Speaking at the 55th Convocation Ceremony of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), on Saturday, President Tinubu, who was represented by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, Professor Edoba Omoregie, said the nation was looking up to universities to address critical issues including insecurity, food insecurity, climate change and technological gaps through research and innovation.

He stressed that research outputs should no longer remain on library shelves but should be deployed to industries and policymaking to drive national development.

The President reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening the education sector through increased investments in infrastructure, staff development, curriculum reforms, research and innovation.

He said the Federal Government would continue to support higher institutions through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), noting that the student loan scheme was making higher education more accessible to qualified Nigerians regardless of their financial background.

Tinubu also pledged improved welfare for academic and non-teaching staff through better remuneration, professional development and institutional reforms aimed at enhancing research excellence and stability in the university system.

Addressing the graduating students, the President described their certificates as invitations to national service, urging them to deploy their knowledge, creativity and integrity to solve societal problems, create jobs and strengthen democracy.

He acknowledged concerns over unemployment but said his administration was promoting the digital economy through the expansion of technology hubs, digital skills training and funding for young technology entrepreneurs.

He added that plans were underway to reform the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) into a skill, entrepreneurship and technology-driven programme.

Tinubu described education as the nation’s most strategic investment, saying it remained the foundation for sustainable economic growth, technological advancement, national security and social cohesion.

He commended UNN for sustaining the vision of its founder, the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, and for producing graduates who have contributed significantly to governance, business, medicine, engineering, agriculture, science and other sectors.

The President also praised the university’s Governing Council, led by Pro-Chancellor Prof. Adegboyega Adebayo Kareem, and the management under Vice-Chancellor Prof. Simon Uchenna Ortuanya for improvements in infrastructure, research output, digital transformation, global visibility and institutional governance.

Congratulating the honorary degree recipients and graduating students, Tinubu urged them to pursue excellence and national development, stressing that Nigeria’s future depended on the quality of its human resources and the strength of its higher institutions. He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for universities to flourish and contribute to national growth and global competitiveness.

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