….As UNN churns out 44 first class graduates

BY DAYO ADESULU

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has urged university host communities to respect the sanctity and federal character of institutions located in their areas.

In his speech at the 43rd Convocation ceremony of the University of Nigeria, held on Saturday, March 29, 2014, the President, represented by the Supervising Minister of Education, Barrister Nyesom Wike, expressed happiness that peace had returned to the University of Nigeria after it was engulfed by protests following the removal of the institution’s erstwhile Pro-Chancellor, Dr. Emeka Enejere. Enejere, a UNN alumnus and former lecturer, hails from Nsukka.

He said: “Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, my address would not be complete if I do not make reference to the recent disturbing developments in this university. While I am pleased that peace and normalcy have returned to the university, let me seize this occasion to reiterate that federal institutions should not be seen as the property of the communities or states in which they are situated.”

President Jonathan said the Federal Government had kept its promise of providing additional funding for development of facilities in universities through TETFund and other high impact interventions, but insisted that the Government alone cannot provide all the funds needed to cater for the development of the education sector.

Jonathan who lauded the Vice-Chancellor of UNN for funding the major projects of the institution through private individuals and internally generated revenue said, “with a large complement of alumni, many of whom are well placed in all facets of our national life, a lot more can be achieved in terms of revenue mobilisation.”

He added that inadequate funding was not the only problem of university education, adding that to run a 21st Century educational system, we also need to address the challenges of poor work ethics and prolonged industrial actions.

He noted that his administration was committed to strengthening all tiers of the education sector by expanding access to education and upgrading the quality of teaching and personnel across all levels of education.

In his address, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Bartho Okolo, announced that the institution awarded a total of 7,989 degrees comprising both 1st degrees, higher degrees and diploma certificates at the 43rd convocation ceremony, adding that 44 graduands bagged 1st class honours in their disciplines.

Okolo, who would leave office by June this year, chronicled the achievements of his administration, some of which include, forging collaborations with over 80 reputable universities across the world, development of infrastructure, making investments that will boost the revenue of the university, development of on-line transcript delivery system, among others.

He said: “On the strength of these recent developments, especially the recruitment of a new generation of academics, the rebuilding of infrastructure and administrative reforms introduced, I am truly optimistic that we are on course to realising our ambition to build the 21s1 Century institution we desire.

Tempo and direction
“However, to achieve this objective, we must endeavour to sustain the tempo and direction of on-going developments at the university. In spite of these developments, a lot more needs to be done, especially in the area of staff commitment and productivity.

“As Vice-Chancellor, I believe, therefore, that the faculty and staff of the university have what it takes to build the kind of university we all desire. However, to achieve this we must see ourselves as patriotic citizens of the university and be willing to make commitments and sacrifices in the interest of the university.

We must all place the interest of the university over and above all other considerations, including personal and parochial gains. “This is because the university we desire can only be created if we excel in the individual small units we look after as deans, directors or heads of department.

“In my position, I have been able to also notice that the philosophy and core values of the university system are under constant threat by the rot in the wider society. I am talking about those values and traditions on which our reputation was built. We, therefore, must protect these values with all our strength if we must retain our reputation and preserve our prestige. I am also concerned about the level and extent of ‘politicking’ on our campuses.

Personal ambitions
“As a matter of fact, there is nothing wrong with nursing personal ambitions, so long as we mean to serve the community. However, a situation where we allow politics, political permutations, parochial tendencies and sheer grandstanding to interfere with our judgment on. very important matters is unhealthy for the development of higher education and the university system in particular.”

At the 43 rd UNN convocation,   four distinguished Nigerians received honorary doctorate degree. They were Mrs Funsho Alakija, Mr Innocent Chukwuma, Mr Samuel Onyishi and a posthumous award to the late Chief Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.
Their degrees were being awarded ‘in recognition of their personal accomplishments.’