By Clement Idoko |Abuja
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has said that gross indiscipline and corruption have contributed in no small measure to impede the growth of university education in Nigeria, urging members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other staff unions to begin to look inwards in tackling the challenges of the system.
Buhari spoke during the seventh convocation ceremony of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti, (FUOYE ) Ekiti State, where he also tasked universities in Nigeria to reassess themselves in the light of national and global expectations.
He was represented at the occasion by the Minister of State for Education, Rt Hon Goodluck Nanah Opiah, as confirmed by the Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs to the Minister, Mr Kelechi Mejuobi,.
Buhari, who is the visitor to the university in his keynote address, noted that revelations in the media and more recently from the outcome of university disciplinary procedures about sexual harassments, sex for grades, extortions, cultism, plagiarism and other forms of intellectual fraud and corruption in the universities are disheartening to say the least.
“I challenge ASUU and sister unions to clean their houses in line with the zero-tolerance stance of the government against corruption.
“If these unions can dissipate half of the energies they devote to confronting the government on issues of funding to checking the excesses of their members, our university system will be better,” he said.
The president noted that since independence in 1960, Nigeria has been trying to make the big leap from being classified as developing to join the elite group of the developed countries of the world; adding that academic establishments generally and Federal University, Oye Ekiti in particular are expected to take the lead in proffering workable solutions to these challenges.
Buhari said that his administration had done its best within the limits of available resources to better the position of the country in the comity of nations.
He went further to request that all hands be on the deck to save Nigeria from the myriads of socio-economic and political challenges that beset it.
He gave further insight into his administration’s efforts in funding the education sector by stating that it is an impossibility to channel all the available funds in the country to the education sector because of competing needs.
While congratulating the graduands and asking them to employ the academic and moral discipline instilled into them to overcome all challenges, the president asked them to be good ambassadors of the institution.
“Beyond this ambassadorial duty, I challenge you to become problem solvers and not problem adders. The essence of a university education is not just about self development but also to equip you to be able to contribute your quota to national development. Shun the easy but criminal way to wealth. Remember that short-cuts will always cut you short. As you move to the next phase of life, I wish you the best” he added.
