President Bola Tinubu has restated his administration’s commitment to the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ through programmes that can enhance service delivery for rapid transformation of the education sector in the country.
He made the disclosure while addressing the 3,574 graduands of the Federal University of Agriculture (FUNAAB), Abeokuta, during the institution’s 31st convocation ceremony, held at the Oluwafemi Balogun Ceremonial Building on Saturday last week.
Tinubu, who was represented by the Minister of State for Education, Hon.Yusuf Tanko Sununu, said his government would continue to interface with critical stakeholders in the education sector to share ideas, break frontiers and to provide necessary support for the agricultural sector.
The president, who is the visitor to the school, advised university-based unions to see themselves as partners in progress with the government.
He noted that “government alone cannot manage the education system without the support of all the university unions.”
He charged the unions to avoid strikes in any form or capacity that might ground the academic system, noting that if the academic system is hitch free, it will not be difficult for it to be at par with other education systems in the world.
In his goodwill message, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, represented by Mrs Toyin Alade, congratulated the university on its achievements as a foremost agricultural-based institution in Nigeria.
He urged FUNAAB to play an active role in sharing the vision of President Tinubu to combat the rising cost of food and its underlying causes in the country.
He added that the nation was looking up to the graduands to be the torchbearers of agricultural transformation in the nation, urging them to be good ambassadors of the university.
Delivering his address, the Chancellor of the University, His Royal Eminence, Edidem Ekpo Okon, the Obong of Calabar, expressed joy at the rate with which the university is growing and its sustenance of academic excellence.
The chancellor appreciated the leadership of the university for its keen interest in massive developmental strides, noting that a lot of transformation has taken place within the university system with the last convocation.
He lauded the president for his commitment to the advancement of the education sector since assuming duties as the president, especially on the issue of the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information Scheme (IPPIS).
