President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on Nigerian universities, research institutions, and specialized centers to deepen their focus on developing homegrown solutions to address the nation’s pressing challenges.
Delivering his address as Visitor at the combined 34th and 35th convocation ceremonies of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), on November 30, 2024, Tinubu emphasized the pivotal role of academia in national development.
Reiterating the mandate of educational institutions as problem solvers, Tinubu said, “The specialized and conventional universities, research institutes, and other tertiary institutions in our country were established as solution providers and problem solvers for all our local and national problems. The present economic situation in our country requires our institutions to join our efforts towards giving a better life to our people and making for ourselves a prosperous nation.
“The government is expecting homegrown solutions to our common problems. I encourage all our researchers to bring up their research outputs that will improve the wellbeing of our people.”
Represented by Professor Wahab Egbewole (SAN), Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Tinubu urged Nigerians to embrace patriotism and resilience, assuring citizens that better days lie ahead.
“The present challenges call for a high degree of patriotism, and I can assure all Nigerians that there is light at the end of the tunnel. After rain comes sunshine. Let me, therefore, call on our graduating students and fellow citizens to join hands to recover our lost glory and virtues,” he said.
He expressed concern over the increasing emigration of Nigerian youths, calling for a reversal of the brain drain trend. “Many of our youths have chosen the supposed easy option of emigrating to the proverbial greener pastures. Such inclination has led to the brain drain syndrome that we now experience in all areas of our endeavors as a nation,” Tinubu said.
Tinubu also appealed to the organized private sector to collaborate with universities to commercialize research outputs and improve the economy. “Let us intensify the training of our students, especially for enterprise, and together, we shall move our nation forward,” he urged.
