President Bola Tinubu has reiterated his administration’s commitment to overhauling Nigeria’s tertiary education system through greater investment in research, innovation, and skill development.
Speaking at the 40th Convocation Ceremony of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) on Thursday, Tinubu, represented by Prof. Temidayo Oladiji, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) commended UNILORIN’s record of academic discipline and excellence, describing it as “a model for other universities in the country.”
“As the University of Ilorin approaches its 50th anniversary, it continues to stand out as a centre of excellence. Nigeria must produce Nobel laureates, and I believe UNILORIN can lead that charge,” the President said.
He announced that UNILORIN has been chosen as one of the National Universities Commission (NUC) Digital Innovation Hub host institutions, designed to enhance research, digital skills, and entrepreneurship among students.
He also revealed that the university is among 18 institutions benefiting from a ₦110 billion national intervention to expand medical training facilities and strengthen the health sector workforce.
Tinubu urged the university to maintain leadership in agriculture and align its programmes with the government’s Livestock Development Programme and Green Money Project.
Acknowledging the current economic challenges, the President appealed for patience, assuring Nigerians that his reforms would soon yield results.
“I acknowledge the temporary hardships Nigerians face today, but these challenges are short-lived. The foundation we are laying will build a stronger and more inclusive economy,” he said.
He explained that the decision to suspend the creation of new federal tertiary institutions was aimed at improving the quality of existing ones. “We must prioritise quality over quantity,” Tinubu stressed.
Highlighting student excellence, he celebrated Sanusi Akanbi Kazeem, who earned a Guinness World Record for the longest mathematics class, describing it as a reflection of Nigerian youths’ creativity and resilience.
He congratulated the 11,886 graduating students, urging them to embrace innovation and service to humanity.
The NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, represented by Prof. AbduLateef Folorunsho Oladimeji of Al-Hikmah University, revealed that UNILORIN attracted over ₦12 billion in research grants in the last two years, a feat he said demonstrates that “world-class achievements are possible with vision and commitment.”
UNILORIN Vice Chancellor, Prof. Wahab Egbewole (SAN), congratulated the graduates, including 316 First Class students, urging them to uphold integrity and discipline. He highlighted remarkable student achievements, including Guinness World Record holder Sanusi Akanbi Kazeem, veterinary scholars Karimot Abisola and Idris Nahimah Opeyemi, recipients of the $5,500 Global Morris Foundation Scholarship, and engineering student Qudus Aduraghemi, whose team won €1,200 in a European innovation challenge.
Pro-Chancellor Surveyor Abiodun Aluko praised Tinubu’s education reforms as “revolutionary interventions improving access and welfare in tertiary institutions,” and commended the payment of ₦50 billion Earned Academic Allowances as a key step toward university stability.
He also appreciated Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for maintaining peace in the state and urged the extension of the state’s urban renewal project to the university’s access road.
Encouraging the graduates, Aluko said, “You belong to the Artificial Intelligence generation, don’t just hit the ground running, take off flying immediately.”
The grand convocation, which also marked UNILORIN’s golden jubilee, attracted dignitaries, scholars, and alumni from within and outside Nigeria, reaffirming the university’s status as a beacon of innovation, discipline, and excellence in higher education.
