FG Vows to Sustain Investments in Youth Devt, Expansion of Economic Opportunities-  Pleased with UNN for keying into Renewed Hope Agenda

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in EnuguThe federal government has expressed strong commitment to sustain the current momentum in its investment drive and initiatives towards capacity building for Nigerian youths, expansion of economic opportunities and their overall development.President Bola Tinubu gave this assurance weekend at the 55th convocation ceremony of the University of Nigeria Nsukka, saying there was need to adequately prepare the nation’s youths for “the responsibility of building a better society”.He said his administration placed high premium on the youth population because Nigeria needs their knowledge, creative courage, and integrity to achieve its national development goals.“The future of our country will be shaped not only by government but also by who are prepared to solve problems, create jobs, build industries, and strengthen our democracy,” Tinubu.Mr. President whose address was read by his representative at the event, Prof. Edoba Omoregie, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin, acknowledged the anxiety among Nigerian youths about what the future holds for them.But Tinubu assured the youth that “my administration is doing everything possible to ensure that our youth are productively engaged” hence they should “embrace the future with optimism”.“We are promoting digital economy by expanding tech hubs, digital skills training, and providing funding for young tecn entrepreneurs. We have equally laid out plans to repackaging the NYSC to be skill and entrepreneurship-oriented and technology-driven,” he said.Mr. President acknowledged the central role the nation’s universities play in youth development given that the ivory towers “do not merely graduate students: they shape ideas, destinies and preserve the moral and intellectual foundations upon which nations rise”.He, therefore, lauded the present administration of UNN headed by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Simon Uchenna Ortuanya, for aligning the university’s development trajectory with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the federal government.Tinubu, who is the Visitor to UNN, noted the RHA-tailored development drive at Nigeria’s first indigenous university was evident in the “improvements in infrastructure, research output, global visibility, digital transformation and institutional governance”.“The Federal Government will continue to support initiatives that strengthen teaching, research, innovation and infrastructure development across our universities.“We shall continue to create an enabling environment that allows our institutions to flourish and contribute meaningfully to national growth a d global competitiveness,” he said.As a measure of UNN alignment with FG’s RHA, Prof. Ortuanya said in his address that within its first year his administration has initiated over 100 strategic projects across the three campuses of UNN – Nsukka, Enugu and Ituku-Ozalla.According to him, the projects underscored his administration’s “unwavering commitment to institutional renewal” adding that the university has also recorded remarkable progress in strengthening the quality, relevance and competitiveness of (its) academic programmes”.“Our commitment to rebuilding has equally found expression in the deliberate strengthening of the university’s innovation ecosystem. We recognise the universities which will shape the future are those that transform ideas into solutions, research into enterprise and knowledge into measurable social impact,” he said.Ortuanya, who has clocked 11 months in office, stated that the rebuilding of UNN was intertwined with the rebuilding of the Nigerian nation to meet the expectations of its citizens.“We believe that Nigeria’s aspirations for sustainable development, technological advancement and global competitiveness cannot be realised without universities that are intellectually vibrant, internationally connected and socially relevant,” he stated.The UNN honoured six distinguished personalities whose lives have become compelling testimonies that leadership, enterprise, faith and creative vision are themselves profound expressions of scholarship in action.The beneficiaries include Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who was conferred with the honorary degree of Doctor of Public Administration (Honoris Causa).She was honoured “in recognition of her disitnguished contributions to public service, women empowerment, social development, and her unwavering commitment to advancing the welfare and dignity of vulnerable Nigerians”.Other notable personalities were honoured alongside the First Lady were an accomplished industrialist, High Chief Williams Agbo and an accomplished architect, Arc. Kaycee-Kelechi, who were both conferred with Doctor of Business Administration (Honoris Causa).An American faith leader, global Christian statesman, education advocate and humanitarian, Dr W. Franklyn Richardson, who was honoured with Doctor of Social Work (Honoris Causa).The UNN honoured the cleric in recognition of his “visionary leadership, unwavering commitment to Christian ministry, educational advancement and humanitarian services (that) have impacted countless lives across nations and generations”.

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