By; SANI ALIYU, Zaria.
President Muhammadu Buhari has announced that in the coming week government would constitute and inaugurate visitation panels to review the performance of all Federal Universities and inter – university centres.
The president stated this at the 39th convocation ceremony of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State.
Buhari, who is the Visitor to the university, was represented by the Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abubakar HarunaAbdulRasheed.
According to him, such a visitation panels are normally constituted once in every five years to among other things, look into the financial management of the institutions including statutory allocations and internally generated funds.
“To this end, I will be delighted to see a more active and purposeful handshake between Nigerian universities and the private sector toward the development of homemade products and services.
“In the developed world, the private sector and the universities are in constant touch trying to solve challenges in medical procedures, drugs, energy and so on.
“I am pleased to lean that ABU is leading the way in this regard in providing a blueprint for the revitalisation of the agricultural sector and the development of drought resistant crops,” he said.
Buhari advised all Nigerian universities to desist from acts capable of disturbing and disrupting the internal peace and stability of the institutions.
The visitor said Government is monitoring with concern the escalating crisis in a number of federal universities in the last few months.
“The crisis bordered on allegations of corruption, mismanagement of resources and gross indiscipline in running the affairs of the centres of learning,” he said.
“Let me make a passionate appeal to Nigerian education sector to, as a matter of urgency, look into the curricula of Nigerian universities and tertiary institutions to make them more functional and competitive.”
He urged the graduating students to remain steadfast, focused and determined and to creatively deploy their thought and skills to deal with whatever challenges that might come their way.
“Our country Nigeria is moving towards the path of a new life that will be characterised by honesty, patriotism self-sacrifice, commitment to duty, diversification of the economy and a better life for all citizens irrespective of tribe, creed or gender.
“You must redouble your efforts to ensure that we collectively wake Nigeria up from its slumber to become the giant of Africa that she truly is.
“You must not rely on government jobs. You must use the training given to you in entrepreneurship to be self-reliant while government continues its efforts’’ to make ‘’the Nigerian economy to create more jobs,” he said.
Earlier, the Chancellor of the University and Obi of Onisha, His Majesty, Nnaemeka Achebe, said a prestigious award in Fine Art had been introduced for excellence in the school.
In his address, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Ibrahim Garba said the groundbreaking ceremony of the construction of 10 MW Solar power plant through the Nigerian-German Energy partnership, will hold on Monday 28th November 2016.
Prof Garba said the university has been incurring huge electricity power cost an average of N85 million per month, which is neither affordable nor sustainable.
“For this reason the university aggressively embarked upon seeking for ways to a more affordable and sustainable power supply through mostly renewable energy source”.
The convocation featured the award of certificates and degrees to 11,713 students out this number 299 Ph.D, 2,687 Masters Degree and 973 Postgraduate Diplomas.
Also 49 students have First Class degree and 1,269 has second class upper division.
