Get Guardian on GoogleVice Chancellor, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Kwara State, Professor Taofeek Ibrahim has urged the Federal Government to purposefully dedicate five per cent of the country’s oil and gas revenue to agricultural developmentyearly.
Ibrahim expressed optimism that this would make the country to overcome acute unemployment confronting the nation’s teeming youths in the shortest time, and enables Nigeria emerge one of the topmost 10 economies globally by 2030.He spoke, yesterday, in Ilorin at the 9th convocation ceremony of the institution during which a total of 896 students, comprising 824 for First degree, 59 for postgraduate degree and 13 for diplomas graduated.
Of the 824 first-degree graduands, 26 students had First Class, 237 in the second Class upper division, 396 in the second Class lower division and 165 with Pass degree.
Ibrahim added that Agriculture farm settlements with standard schools, health care and recreation facilities were also important in aiding the country’s economic development.He said: “Similarly, three per cent of Nigeria’s oil and gas income should be dedicated to the primary education sector for proper and adequate foundation, for our children to be well prepared for the much-needed developmental challenges in the future.
“We expect that 70 per cent admissions into our universities should be into Science, Technology and Engineering courses, yet, all that children are exposed to throughout their basic education for six to nine years is ‘talks and stories’, without any exposure to basic science laboratories, tools and equipment.”
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