•CVCNU insists on building resilience, AI

President Bola Tinubu has described Nigerian universities as critical partners in the nation’s development agenda, urging them to produce graduates capable of responding to the realities of a rapidly changing global economy.

Tinubu, who spoke yesterday while declaring open the 37th Annual Conference and General Assembly of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Kwara State, said the country cannot achieve sustainable economic transformation without corresponding investment in human capital.

Represented by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaibat Ahmad, the president said universities are not just institutions where degrees are awarded but “centres of knowledge creation, innovation, critical thinking, entrepreneurship, cultural development and national transformation.”

To that end, he maintained that Nigerian varsities must produce graduates who are not only academically certified but innovative, ethical, digitally competent, entrepreneurial, adaptable and capable of solving real-world problems.

Consequently, he challenged university authorities to reconsider the quality and relevance of graduates, particularly in an era dominated by Artificial Intelligence in automation, biotechnology, data science, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing.

In the meantime, Tinubu said his administration was pursuing reforms aimed at improving the quality, relevance, accessibility, affordability and accountability of tertiary education.

He disclosed plans by the Federal Ministry of Education to implement the Education Sector Renewal Initiative, with particular focus on institutional governance, quality assurance, research and innovation, digital transformation, skills development and stronger university-industry linkages.

The president also called for stronger practical training, noting that academic knowledge must be complemented by hands-on experience. He added that the government had started reviewing the curricula, particularly in agriculture, “from 70 per cent theory and 30 per cent practical to a robust 80 per cent practical and 20 per cent theory.”

According to Tinubu, the same approach would gradually be extended to other disciplines through the review of the Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS).

Therefore, he urged vice-chancellors to similarly strengthen research partnerships with government, industry, development partners and communities so that research findings could be transformed into products, services, policies, technologies and practical solutions to national challenges.

The president also emphasised the importance of effective university governance, urging vice-chancellors to strengthen accountability, improve institutional planning and deploy public resources prudently.

He emphasised that vice-chancellors are not only academic leaders but also managers, employers, financial stewards, community leaders and strategic partners in national development.

On graduate employability, Tinubu urged institutions to strengthen internships, entrepreneurship programmes, work-based learning and university-industry partnerships, saying that graduates should leave university not as job seekers but value creators, innovators, entrepreneurs, professionals, researchers and responsible citizens.

On their part, the vice-chancellors have challenged Nigerian varsities to move beyond mere survival by taking advantage of persistent challenges to reposition as engines of innovation, ethical leadership and national development.

Speaking on the conference theme, “Building Resilient Universities for Nigeria,” the CVCNU Chairman, Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, demanded urgent reforms in the tertiary system, advising them to build resilience and adapt to emerging technologies to remain relevant in a rapidly changing world.

Ezemonye, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, noted that Nigerian universities were facing a critical test, adding that it was no longer about survival “but remaining relevant to a young population with growing expectations.”

According to him, resilience in the university system should mean the ability of institutions to withstand funding instability, industrial disputes, demographic pressures, technological disruption and the migration of skilled academics, while still maintaining excellence in teaching, research and community service.

He listed governance, university autonomy and financial sustainability; development of AI-ready universities; partnerships among universities, government, regulators, industry and labour; as well as human capital, academic excellence and the welfare of students and staff as critical areas for the varsities’ survival.

Also, the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, warned universities against new regulatory guidelines, particularly against combining over three convocations in a year, and that no one without a first degree should be considered for an honorary doctorate award.