THE vice chancellor of KolaDaisi University, Professor Adeniyi Olatunbosun, has charged the government to redirect its priorities from politics and focus on educational development if there must be substantial and appreciable growth in the country.
The don, who averred that no country could develop without a pool of its intellectuals, also tasked the government to put in place necessary apparatuses to ensure that there is a future for the youths.
Professor Olatunbosun, who stated this during the 6th matriculation ceremony of the university, said a lot of Nigerian professionals are taking giant strides overseas because the government in Nigeria did not understand and appreciate the level of their relevance to the economy.
He noted that the number of Nigerian students emigrating abroad is alarming, stating that “about 14,438 Nigerian students studied in the U.S.A. for the 2021/2022 academic session.
“In the UK in September 2021, only two other countries, China and India, had more students than Nigeria. Enrollments from Nigeria spiked to 21,305 in the UK during the 2020/2021 academic session, ” he noted.
Professor Olatunbosun also observed that worldwide, Nigerians through postgraduate studies had distinguished themselves with outstanding achievements, spotlighting the results of hard work.
“Indeed, Nigerians through their sole efforts and individuality instincts have proven that good things can come out of Nigeria. The Nigerian university graduates have proven that university teachers in Nigeria are competent and up to the task.
“In spite of huge challenges facing Nigerian lecturers, they have maintained and sustained international standards in relation to the quality of teaching and research,” he said.
He therefore tasked the Nigerian governments to appreciate the university teachers for the knowledge being imparted to the students.
Speaking about the 6th matriculation ceremony, he said a total of 253 new students were admitted through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Direct Entry and transfer from other universities into faculties of Applied Sciences, Arts, Management and Social Science and Law in the range of 93,110 and 50 respectively.
He admonished the matriculants to be focused and mindful of the association they keep; attend lectures regularly and other areas of discipline to make a success of their studentship.
He hinted that the university is embarking on infrastructural developments such as the construction of a 60-room capacity hall for female students and in preparation for the establishment of the Medical School of KDU, being proposed to take off soon, the Kola Daisi Foundation is carrying out the construction of six medical buildings situated opposite the main campus.
Delivering the convocation lecture entitled: ‘A Universe City,’ Dr Olufade Onifade, from the Department of Computer Science, University of Ibadan, enjoined the new students to make the most of their time in their new environment which is completely different from where they are coming from.
He advised them to live a balanced life, take attending lectures very seriously except when it is extremely unavoidable saying that “chatting, jesting, among other things that students engage themselves in are good, but not expedient.
