President Bola Tinubu has charged Nigerian universities to place greater emphasis on practical skills, innovation and problem-solving rather than concentrating primarily on the award of academic certificates.
Tinubu said this was necessary for universities to produce graduates capable of driving Nigeria’s economic transformation and competing effectively in a rapidly changing global economy.
The president gave the charge on Wednesday in Ilorin, Kwara State, while speaking at the 37th Annual Conference and General Assembly of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities held at the University of Ilorin.
Represented by the Minister of State for Education, Suwaibat Ahmad, Tinubu described universities as strategic institutions in the country’s development, saying their responsibilities extended beyond awarding degrees.
“Universities are more than institutions where degrees are awarded. They are centres of knowledge creation, innovation, critical thinking, entrepreneurship, cultural development and national transformation,” he said.
