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Zulum, Afe Babalola blame terrorism on poor education, unemployment

By Muyiwa Adeyemi, Ayodele Afolabi (Ado-Ekiti) and Murtala Adewale (Kano)
22 November 2021   |   4:08 am
Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum and founder of Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, have given further insight into why terrorists’ recruitment is unabating in the country, stating that lack of quality education and unemployment were responsible.

• Kano varsity lecturers threaten to sue Ganduje over property
• Olanipekun advises FG to honour pacts with ASUU

Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum and founder of Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, have given further insight into why terrorists’ recruitment is unabating in the country, stating that lack of quality education and unemployment were responsible.

The duo, while stressing that education was important to ending terrorism, added that institutions like ABUAD must rise up to the occasion and address the educational needs of youths.

As Babalola said Nigerians should start emphasising quality and functional education, Zulum, on the other hand, lamented the “mismatch between education and industries, as well as a mismatch between graduates and unemployment opportunities in the country.”

This is even as Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi warned that ABUAD must outlive its founder.

He urged the legal luminary to put in place a sustainable plan that would make the emerging ivory tower to remain relevant in his absence.

The two governors spoke yesterday at the 12th Founder’s Day and the ninth convocation of the institution in Ado-Ekiti.

Zulum submitted: “Lack of education and employment is responsible for terrorism in the North and one of the institutions that can help to address this crisis is ABUAD.

“We must give education to our youths and help them to get jobs.”

Fayemi advised the graduates to design their lives in most profitable ways by imbibing the spirit of “delayed gratification,” adding that they should also perceive candour, integrity, honesty and competence as qualities that would put them in good stead in life.

In his address, Babalola charged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the National Universities Commission (NUC) to start prosecuting and confiscating property belonging to operators of illegal universities across the federation.

He also cautioned the 36 state governors against establishing universities for political motives.

RELATEDLY, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) branch of the Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano (YUMSUK) has cautioned Governor Abdullahi Ganduje over alleged revocation of facilities and move to sell some landed property belong to tertiary institution.

Specifically, union demanded that the visitor to the university to, in the interest of preserving industrial harmony, reverse the decision.

The body, in a statement issued yesterday, by the branch chairman, Dr. Abdulrazaq Ibrahim, warned that failure of the state government to reverse the alleged revocation and sale would force it to seek legal redress.

It was gathered that the state government had begun the process of revoking the Kwanar Dawakin Campus and Centre for Entrepreneurship Studies at Dawakin Tofa Local Council, both belonging to the university.

BESIDES, the Chancellor of Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere Ekiti, Chief Wole Olanipekun, has said Nigeria could not afford another round of strike.

He, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government to honour all agreements struck with ASUU in the interest of industrial harmony.

The union had, last week, threatened to declare another nationwide strike over pending issues.

But at a subsequent truce parley, in Abuja, it was resolved that a N30 billion revitalisation fund be released to the universities within the next one week, while the N22.1 billion Earned Academic Allowances are to be paid and the University Transparency Accountability Solution designed for payment of salaries was to be tested by relevant agencies to ascertain its viability.

Addressing journalists during the 25th Chief Wole Olanipekun Scholarship Scheme, at the weekend, the senior lawyer remarked: “The Federal Government must honour all agreements with ASUU to prevent any strike that could affect the system.”

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