Tinubu Challenges Varsities to Tackle Insecurity, Climate Change

•UNN honours First Lady, others

Arinze Gideon in Enugu

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has challenged Nigerian universities to move beyond classroom teaching and become the nation’s foremost source of practical solutions to insecurity, food insecurity, climate change, technological lag and other pressing national challenges.

The president issued the charge yesterday at the 55th Convocation Ceremony of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), where the institution conferred honorary doctorates on Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and other distinguished Nigerians for their outstanding contributions to national development and humanity.

Represented by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Prof. Edoba B. Omoregie, the president said universities must produce research that addresses the country’s developmental needs rather than allowing valuable academic findings to remain unused.

“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 translate into policies that shape our developmental priorities,” the President said.

He stressed that education remained the most strategic investment any nation could make, saying: “Education is the foundation upon which our quest for sustainable economic growth, technological advancement, national security and social cohesion are built.”

Tinubu assured Nigerians that his administration would continue to strengthen higher education through investments in infrastructure, staff development, research and curriculum reforms.

 “Our goal is to ensure that our higher institutions produce graduates who are not only employable but also capable of creating employment and driving economic transformation,” he stated.

The president also reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), insisting that no deserving student should be denied access to higher education because of poverty.

According to him, “The scheme is making higher education more accessible to deserving young Nigerians regardless of their financial background. No qualified Nigerian should be denied access to education because of economic circumstances.”

Tinubu further disclosed that the federal government was repositioning the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) into a skills, entrepreneurship and technology-driven programme, while expanding digital skills training, technology hubs and funding support for young innovators.

He commended the University of Nigeria for aligning with the Renewed Hope Agenda, praising the governing council and the management led by Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Simon Uchenna Ortuanya, for the institution’s progress in infrastructure, digital transformation, research output and institutional governance.

The highlight of the ceremony was the conferment of honorary doctorates on First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu and other eminent Nigerians in recognition of their contributions to leadership, scholarship, enterprise and humanitarian service.

Represented by Hon. Wahab Alawiye-King, the First Lady announced a N50 million endowment fund for UNN to support academic development.

Alawiye-King said the gesture reflected the First Lady’s commitment to promoting excellence in education and supporting institutions that create future leaders.

In his address, the Chancellor of the University of Nigeria and Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, described the University of Nigeria as a unique institution that has remained faithful to its founding vision of producing graduates of intellectual excellence, character and courage.

He commended the governing council and the management under Prof. Ortuanya for repositioning the institution through infrastructure renewal, digital transformation, strengthened academic programmes and research.

Earlier, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ortuanya said the university had embarked on more than 100 strategic projects across its Nsukka, Enugu and Ituku-Ozalla campuses in the past year, including the expansion of the College of Medicine, digital transformation initiatives and major infrastructure upgrades.

He said the administration had also secured an increase in the university’s MBBS admission quota from 180 to 400 and in Dentistry from 15 to 60, alongside the establishment of a Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Laboratory.