The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has emphasised that his administration, with its Renewed Hope Agenda, remains committed to pursuing programmes that would enhance service delivery, thereby culminating into rapid transformation of the education sector in Nigeria. President Tinubu gave this assurance while speaking at the just-concluded 31st Convocation Ceremony of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), held at the prestigious Oluwafemi Balogun Ceremonial Building of the University.
The President and Visitor to the University, noted that his administration was interfacing with critical stakeholders in the education sector to share ideas, appreciate frontiers and provide necessary support for the nation’s agriculture sector, saying this was reflected in the recent establishment of the Students Loan Scheme to support roles of the existing scholarship boards. Tinubu, who was represented by the Minister of State for Education, Hon. Yusuf Sununu, reiterated that his administration had exempted federal universities and polytechnics from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), to accommodate their peculiarities in the corporate governance of the nation’s citadels of learning.
He disclosed further that a considerable amount had been earmarked in the 2024 Appropriation Act for the country’s education sector, saying generally, the purpose of the Act “is to enhance socio-economic growth, and to see that the university systems play a critical role in achieving their projections in 2024 as a nation”. The nation’s number one citizen, however, called on all major stakeholders in the university system, especially the university-based unions, to see themselves as partners in progress, “so as to build a system that is devoid of strike and disruption of academic calendar”, with assurance that his administration would be responsive and have listening ears to agitations in the Nigerian universities.