President Bola Tinubu on Saturday in Owerri emphasised the need for quality education to speed up Nigeria’s economic development.
Tinubu, in a goodwill message to the 36th Convocation of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, said that his administration places much premium on educational growth.
His message was read by Florence Obi, Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar.
The president said that his administration had repositioned federal universities to enable them conduct researches to solve the nation’s challenges.
“Education is a major fulcrum for national development; it is a catalyst for alleviating poverty and promoting economic growth and development.
“This fact remains sacrosanct for my administration hence the inclusion of education among the eight priority areas that include economy, security, agriculture, energy, infrastructure and health.
“To further underscore the Federal Government’s commitment towards tertiary education, we established the Nigerian Education Loan Fund dedicated to granting students fees and personal upkeep loans.
“A total of N33bn was made available to start the programme which commenced this year with six pilot universities from each of the geopolitical zones,” he revealed.
Tinubu further advised young graduates to embrace farming and vocational training, in addition to their academic qualifications.
“The period white-collar jobs were readily available has faded away. I urge you to harness the potentials in agriculture, vocational skills and Information Technology to add value to yourself and the nation.” he counseled.
Tinubu further said that the Federal Government had made substantial interventions in FUTO to upgrade its facilities and infrastructure.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, Gov. Hope Uzodinma of Imo, and his Borno counterpart, Prof. Babangida Zulum, were conferred with honorary doctorate degrees at the ceremony. (NAN)
