• Says digital economy, renewable energy key to job creation
• Urges graduates to explore opportunities in agriculture
• UNIMED inducts 72 new doctors, urges them to avoid pitfalls
President Bola Tinubu has disclosed that his administration is committed to making education play the pivotal role as the driving hub for national growth, prosperity and development; hence, the need to make education more robust, responsive and globally competitive.
According to him, a blueprint that will ensure the rapid revitalisation of university education in the country, as well as address challenges in the Nigerian university system, has been developed.
The President stated this during the 36th convocation ceremony of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), where 240 of the 2,747 graduates bagged First Class honours degrees.
Tinubu, while urging stakeholders within the education sector not to rely absolutely on government for funding, called for interconnection between tertiary institutions and industry for research outputs to be more impactful.
The President, while commending FUTA for its contributions to the development of indigenous technology and the human capital needed to drive the nation’s industrial and digital transformation agenda, represented by the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, urged the graduating students to key into opportunities abounding in the agricultural sector for job creation.
He said, “We are therefore committed to policies that strengthen education, promote research funding, and foster collaborations between universities and industries. We are also pursuing the digital economy agenda, renewable energy initiatives, and infrastructure development, all of which open new opportunities for your graduates to contribute meaningfully to national growth and development.”
The Vice-Chancellor of FUTA, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, who outlined the strides achieved by the university, stated that due to the harmonious industrial environment of the institution and the encouragement by the agencies of the Federal Government, researchers in the university have continued to make an impact nationally and globally.
She said, “After scaling the hurdle of resource verification, approval had been obtained from NUC for commencement of the following programmes: B.N. Sc. Nursing Sciences, B.Tech. Financial Technology, B.Tech. Procurement Management and B.Tech. Environmental Management, among others.
On his part, Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who was represented by the Director-General of Performance and Project Monitoring Implementation Unit (PPIMU), Razaq Obe, stated that “FUTA is not just an institution; it is indeed an institution of institutions.
RELATEDLY, the 72 doctors of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), who were newly inducted into the medical and dental professions, have been urged to avoid pitfalls in navigating their career paths.
According to Prof. Frank Imarhiagbe of the University of Benin, who was the guest lecturer at the induction ceremony, to succeed in medical practice, hard work, counselling and guidance are crucial.
Imarhiagbe, who spoke on the topic “The Medical Graduate in Contemporary Nigeria: Navigating the Career Path to the Top,” stated that modern or allopathic medicine is a noble profession that is strictly regulated by ethics with good medical practice as the underpinnings.
On her part, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Ebunoluwa Adejuyigbe, charged the newly inducted doctors to uphold the ethics of the profession and make humanity the centre-piece of their practice.
Also, Chief Medical Director of the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital (UNIMEDTH), Dr Michael Gbala, who also counselled the new doctors to be steadfast in their practice, pledged to give the new doctors immediate employment if they are willing to take the offers.
