The Vice President, Federal
Republic of Nigeria, Profes- Tsor Yemi Osinbajo, GCON,
has reiterated the commitment of
the Federal Government to the
sustenance of tertiary education in the country. He gave the assurance
on Monday, 28 November, 2015, at
the 3rd Annual Conference of the
Association of West Africa Universities
(AWAU), held at the Nigerian
Turkish Nile University (NTNU),
Abuja.
The Vice President, who was
represented by the Honourable
Minister of Education, Mallam
Adamu Adamu, revealed that the
Federal Government, under the
l e a d e rs h i p o f P r e si d e n t
Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, was
committed to the expansion of
access to quality tertiary education,
through the establishment of new
programmes, development of
physical infrastructure, recruitment
and training of teaching and nonteaching
staff as well as the implementation of the recommendation of
the Needs Assessment Committee
on Nigerian universities. He said
that the Federal Government had
already started releasing funds to
some benefiting institutions.
Delivering the keynote address
titled, “Turbulence in University
Education in West Africa: Quality,
Mentorship and Access,” former
President, Federal Republic of
Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo,
GCFR, called on African universities
to develop curricula and engage
in research that would address the
current challenge of insecurity and
foster peaceful coexistence in the
African continent, in particular and
the world in general. The former
President, who was represented by
the former Executive Secretary,
National Universities Commission
(NUC), Professor Peter Okebukola,
said that as research centres,
universities were expected to
respond to societal challenges. Chief Obasanjo, who lamented that
world peace, especially in Africa,
was being threatened by the activities
of violent extremists and
terrorism, called on universities
across the continent to rise up to the
occasion. He observed that physical
development could only thrive
under a conducive atmosphere and
further called on universities to take
the lead in addressing the menace.
In the words of the former President,
“Peace in Africa and the world
is getting increasingly compromised
through violent extremism to
which our universities should rise
stoutly to defend and find solutions.
The West African sub-region is not
spared the scourge of Boko Haram.
We need our universities to come
up with creative solutions, if
possible a curriculum and research
methodologies that will foster a
culture of peace and human security
in Africa and World.”
The Executive Secretary, NUC,
Professor Julius A. Okojie, was
represented by the Deputy Executive
Secretary I, Professor Chiedu
Mafiana. Also at the event, was the
NUC Director, Quality Assurance,
Dr. Noel Saliu.
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