Tinubu Seeks Stakeholders’ Aid to Fund Tertiary Education

President Bola Tinubu has issued a powerful appeal to all stakeholders to join forces with his administration in addressing the chronic funding challenges plaguing Nigeria’s tertiary education system. Speaking on Saturday at the 36th convocation ceremony of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), the President emphasized that the monumental task of adequately financing education can no longer be seen as the sole responsibility of the government.

The convocation saw a total of 2,747 students graduate, including 1,717 who received first degrees on Friday and 1,030 who were awarded postgraduate degrees on Saturday. The academic achievement served as a backdrop for the President’s key policy address, which stressed the necessity of collaboration for sustainable funding. Represented by the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abdullahi Ribadu, President Tinubu acknowledged the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting higher institutions. However, he stressed that the current model of “absolute reliance on government for funding” must be fundamentally reassessed and “rejigged” to ensure long-term sustainability.

The President’s message was unequivocal: funding government-owned universities is, all over the world, a “collective responsibility of all stakeholders.” This call to action signals a major push by the administration to diversify the financial base of federal institutions, potentially paving the way for greater industry involvement, alumni support, and community investment. Beyond financial collaboration, President Tinubu also focused on the vital link between academia and the economy. He urged that the interconnection between tertiary institutions and industry be significantly improved, noting that research outputs must be “impactful, enabling industries to readily make use of them for mutual benefits.” This emphasis on practical, industry-relevant research suggests a policy direction aimed at moving Nigerian universities from purely academic centers to key drivers of national economic development and problem-solving. Academics were challenged to conduct research that would meaningfully address the country’s myriad challenges, ensuring their work translates into tangible societal improvement.

Addressing the graduating students, the President delivered a clear charge for self-reliance and national commitment. He expressed confidence that the graduates had been “adequately prepared to confront the challenges in the competitive labour market.” In a direct message encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship, President Tinubu enjoined the new graduates to deploy their proficiency in diverse entrepreneurial activities, agriculture, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills, and basic scientific knowledge to create jobs in their respective fields and become self-reliant. He concluded his remarks by urging the graduates to be patriotic citizens, defending their new status through consistent hard work, increased focus, and an “unalloyed commitment to national unity, peace, and progress.”

Earlier in her remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of FUTA, Professor Adenike Oladiji, highlighted the university’s unwavering focus on its core mandates of teaching, research, and community service. She pointed to a successful academic session marked by expanding academic programmes to broaden the university’s societal impact. Professor Oladiji proudly announced that FUTA had achieved significant success in its accreditation exercises. She revealed that NUC teams, which visited the university between November 10 and December 15, 2024, to conduct accreditation for 18 undergraduate programmes, returned results confirming that all programmes presented obtained full accreditation status. Furthermore, to widen access to quality university education, FUTA introduced Top-Up programmes, a bridge initiative designed for Higher National Diploma (HND) holders to upgrade their qualifications to bachelor’s degrees. The programme, which commenced in the 2024/2025 academic session, currently offers 19 degree programmes across various schools, underscoring the institution’s commitment to inclusivity and academic growth. The convocation concluded with a renewed sense of purpose, linking the future success of the graduates directly to the collective responsibility of all stakeholders in securing a better-funded and more impactful tertiary education system for Nigeria.