President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Nigerian universities to be at the forefront through researches for the attainment of national development.
The president said in a speech he sent to the 38 foundation and 30th convocation of the Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna, Niger State that universities are key to the realisation of the national development agenda.
Buhari who was represented by the minister of state education, Chief Chukwuemeka Uwajiuba charged universities to look inwards for their funding even as government will continue to provide the needed funds for the day to day running of the institutions.
He said government will always remain alive to its responsibilities to universities, but urged stakeholders to support government’s efforts in the development of the country’s education sector.
Rationalising the need for Federal Universities of Technology, the president said they were established to ensure even spread of educational institutions and for the country to achieve the needed breakthrough in the field of science.
The FUT Minna at the convocation graduated 58 first class students, awarded honourary doctorate degrees to former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, founder and chairman of BUA group, Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu, president of Africa Development Bank (ADB) Dr Akinwumi Adesina and the managing director of Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Malam Mele Kyari.
A total of 5, 049 students graduated, 3,892 received first degrees, 200 post graduate diplomas, 836 master’s degrees and 121 with doctorate degrees.
In his speech the newly installed chancellor of the university, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade, who is the Deji of Akure and chairman Ondo State Council of Obas appealed to the federal government to provide special funds for universities of technology because of their peculiarities.
The vice chancellor of the university Professor Abdullahi Bala disclosed that 42 out of the 44 undergraduate programmes run by the institution have received full accreditation of the National Universities Commission (NUC).
He said between 2018 and 2021 no fewer than 1,216 staff were promoted with 87 of them elevated to professors and 107 associate professors.
He said Enebe Simon Adinoyi of the Department of Quantity Survey, School of Environmental Technology emerged the overall best graduating student with a CGPA of 4.88 coming out with first class.