Biodun Esan, Ilorin
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening innovation, research, and skill-based education across Nigerian universities.
The President also promised greater investments in higher institutions to prepare graduates for global competitiveness.
Tinubu said this on Thursday in Ilorin while speaking at the 40th Convocation Ceremony of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN).
The president, who was represented by the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof Temidayo Oladiji, commended the institution for its long-standing record of discipline and academic excellence.
“As the University of Ilorin approaches its 50th anniversary, it continues to stand tall as a center of excellence. Nigeria must produce Nobel laureates, and I believe UNILORIN can lead that charge,” Tinubu said.
Tinubu announced that UNILORIN had been selected as one of the host universities for the National Universities Commission’s Digital Innovation Hub, a project aimed at fostering digital skills, entrepreneurship, and research capacity.
“This initiative will position Ilorin as a key player in Nigeria’s knowledge-driven economy,” he added.
The President also revealed that the university is among 18 institutions benefiting from a N110 billion federal intervention to upgrade medical training facilities.
According to him, the initiative aligns with government efforts to expand the nation’s healthcare workforce, and urged the university to sustain its agricultural research Programme and align with federal projects such as the Livestock Development Programme and the Green Money Project.
Acknowledging the current economic challenges, Tinubu appealed for patience, assuring Nigerians that his reforms would yield sustainable benefits.
“I know the pains many citizens are going through today, but these challenges are temporary. The foundation we are laying will build a stronger and more inclusive economy,” he said.
He further clarified the government’s decision to suspend the establishment of new federal tertiary institutions, noting that the move was meant to consolidate existing ones, adding; “we must prioritise quality over quantity.
The President also congratulated UNILORIN student Sanusi Akanbi Kazeem, who recently set a Guinness World Record for the longest mathematics class, describing his feat as a symbol of youthful creativity and resilience.
“Our young people continue to make us proud through innovation and determination,” he noted.
Tinubu praised the university’s management under Vice Chancellor Professor Wahab Egbewole (SAN), the Chancellor, Alhaji (Dr.) Abdulmumini Kabir Usman, and the Pro-Chancellor, Surveyor Abiodun Aluko, for their commitment to academic growth and institutional stability.
Representative of the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, the Vice Chancellor of Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Prof AbduLateef Folorunsho Oladimeji, commended UNILORIN for attracting over N12 billion in research grants within two years.
“The University of Ilorin continues to prove that Nigerian universities can achieve global standards when properly managed,” he said.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof Wahab Egbewole, in his address, congratulated the 11, 886 graduating students, including 316 First Class graduates on their achievements.
He urged them to uphold the university’s values of discipline, hard work, and integrity, stressing; “at 40, UNILORIN has come of age. The future begins now—go out there and make a difference.
Highlighting student achievements, Egbewole mentioned veterinary students Karimot Abisola and Idris Nahimah Opeyemi, who won a $5,500 Global Morris Foundation Scholarship, and engineering student Qudus Aduraghemi, whose team clinched a €1,200 European innovation prize.
Pro-Chancellor Surveyor Abiodun Aluko described Tinubu’s education policies as “revolutionary,” citing the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund and the payment of N50 billion in Earned Academic Allowances.
These, he said, were measures that have improved staff welfare and university stability.
He also praised the state Governor, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq for sustaining peace and urged that the ongoing urban renewal project be extended to the university’s access road.
Addressing the new graduates, Aluko encouraged them to embrace technology and innovation.
“You are part of the Artificial Intelligence generation; don’t just hit the ground running, take off flying immediately,” he charged.
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