‘We Can’t Carry It Alone’ — Tinubu Begs Stakeholders to Fund Nigeria’s Universities, Polytechnics, Others

• President Bola Tinubu has appealed to stakeholders across Nigeria to partner with his administration in fixing chronic funding gaps and structural weaknesses in the nation’s tertiary education sector.

President Bola Tinubu has called on stakeholders nationwide to join his administration in tackling the persistent challenges facing Nigeria’s tertiary education system, particularly inadequate funding.

Speaking on Saturday at the 36th convocation ceremony of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), where 1,030 students received postgraduate degrees, Tinubu said education funding can no longer be left solely to the government. A day earlier, the university had awarded first degrees to 1,717 students across 10 faculties.

Represented by the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Universities Commission, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, the President stressed the need for shared responsibility in sustaining university education.

“While the Federal Government does not have any intention of abdicating its responsibilities to higher educational institutions, the time has come for all stakeholders to take another look at the erstwhile model of absolute reliance on government for funding and rejig the educational system for sustainable funding,” Tinubu said.

The President also called for stronger collaboration between universities and industry players, emphasising that research must translate into real economic solutions.

“It is very pertinent to emphasise that the interconnection between our tertiary institutions and industry should be improved. Research outputs should be impactful, enabling industries to readily use them for mutual benefits,” he added.

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Tinubu urged academics to produce research that addresses Nigeria’s pressing challenges and encouraged graduates to apply their skills in entrepreneurship, ICT, agriculture, and innovation, saying the country needs their contribution to economic development.

“I enjoin you to deploy your proficiency in diverse activities to create jobs and be self-reliant. Government is hopeful that you will defend your new status as graduates through hard work, focus, and patriotic citizenship,” he said.

In her remarks, FUTA Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, highlighted the institution’s achievements, including the full accreditation of all 18 programmes assessed by the National Universities Commission between November and December 2024.

She also noted the introduction of new academic programmes and the launch of the Top-Up initiative, which allows Higher National Diploma holders to earn bachelor’s degrees across 19 programmes in the 2024/2025 academic session.