President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerian academia to urgently produce impactful research that offers solutions to the country’s challenges.

Tinubu made the appeal during the presentation of postgraduate certificates at the 36th Convocation of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) on Saturday.

The President, who was represented by the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, expressed his belief that FUTA is endowed with high-quality and innovative researchers who can take on this task.

Tinubu asked FUTA to remain honest and focused to maintain the confidence placed in it by the government and stakeholders.

He also urged stakeholders within the sector not to rely solely on government funding but to seek improved collaboration between universities and industries.

“The Federal Government does not intend to abdicate its responsibilities to higher educational institutions.
“The time has come for all stakeholders to revisit the old model of absolute reliance on government funding and to reorganise the educational system for sustainable financing.

“It is also very important to emphasise that the connection between our tertiary institutions and industry should be strengthened,” he said.

According to him, funding universities worldwide is a collective responsibility of all stakeholders.

He urged for research outputs from tertiary institutions to be more impactful, enabling industries to utilise them.
The President, who serves as a Visitor to the university, challenged the graduands to apply their skills in various entrepreneurial activities, agricultural work, and ICT to generate employment and become self-reliant.

In her remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of FUTA, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, stated that a total of 1030 students graduated from its School of Postgraduate Studies.

“For today’s event, the summary of the graduating students is as follows: Postgraduate Diploma – 91, M-Tec​- 647, Doctor of Philosophy – 169, School of Professional Development – 123.

“It is worth noting that the university is producing doctoral graduands in Renewable Energy Technology for the first time,” she said.

She said that all programmes presented to the NUC obtained full accreditation status.

“The university continues to maintain its position as a leading hub of academic and scientific excellence, with numerous staff and alumni earning recognitions among the world’s top two per cent scientists, according to the prestigious ranking by Stanford University, USA, and Elsevier.

“The exploits of our researchers continued to earn recognition within and outside the shores of Nigeria.

“In the just-concluded academic session, three (3) research groups in the university won separate international grants worth 136,511.00 pounds, ” she said.

The VC urges the graduands to be good ambassadors of the institution, stating that FUTA is renowned for its self-reliance and integrity.

Also speaking, the Pro-Chancellor of FUTA, Prof. Nora Daduut, expressed sincere gratitude to the President for his visionary leadership and reforms, aimed at repositioning Nigeria.

Daduut, who stated that the achievements of the institution’s governing council would not have been possible without the cooperation of management, noted that the council had enjoyed a harmonious relationship with all stakeholders.

“The harmonious relationship with management and students has created an enabling environment for teaching, learning and research.

“Staff welfare is held as a priority, and development of infrastructure has improved tremendously, “ she said.

(NAN)