President Muhammadu Buhari has said that quality education is a key element to the nation’s industrialisation and development.
Buhari, represented by Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Isha’aq Oloyode, stated this at the weekend at the 44th convocation ceremony of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) in Benin City, Edo State.
The President, who said in Nigeria, there is a great disconnect between education and industry, noted that the difference between industrialised economy and non-industrialised economy is education.
We must not fail to realise that the key element of the country’s industrialisation is education, as the difference between industrialised and non-industrialised economy is education. As it is in Nigeria today, there is a great disconnect between education and industry. This should not be; so,” he said.
Buhari, who stated that actions would be; geared towards promoting quality teaching and purposeful research in the areas of comparative advantage and entrenched academic integrity, eliminate poor attitude to work and stamping out cultism and gangsterism in the nation’s universities, gave assurance of his administration’s determination to work assiduously within the limit of its resources to bring about the desire transformation in the education sector.
He, however, appealed to well-meaning parents and guardians, as well as alumni of the university, to assist the administrators in creating the right atmosphere conducive for scholarship and academic excellence.
Meanwhile, the Chancellor of the university and Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, who commended the Federal Government for providing the enabling environment for enthronement of peace and uninterrupted academic calendar in the nation’s universities, appealed to it to fulfill all its obligations to the universities’ staff unions to forestall future disruption of the academic calendar.
In a related vein, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Igbinedion University, Okada, Prof. Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah, has described as unhealthy for the nation’s development the incessant strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), saying that government must show genuine commitment to end all lingering issues with the lecturers.
Abdullah, who spoke at the weekend in Okada, Edo State, during the 16th convocation ceremony of the institution, urged the Federal Government to address the lingering industrial action in the education sector, said: “No doubt, the nation cannot quantify its losses each time ASUU or the NLC goes on nation-wide strike.
Government, therefore, should find a lasting solution to all cases of industrial action because such incidences are signs of under-development.
Get Jobs On Telegram