President Bola Tinubu has urged the Nigerian academia to urgently produce impactful research that will proffer solutions to the country’s challenges.

Mr Tinubu made the appeal at the award of postgraduate certificates at the 36th Convocation of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) on Saturday.

The president, represented by the executive secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Abdullahi Ribadu, stated that he believed FUTA is endowed with high-quality and innovative researchers who could undertake the task.

Mr Tinubu  asked FUTA to remain forthright and focused to uphold confidence reposed in it by the government and stakeholders.

He urged stakeholders in the sector not to rely solely on the government for funding, instead advocating for improved interconnection between universities and industries.

“The federal government does not have the intention of abdicating its responsibilities to  higher educational institutions,
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“The time has come for all stakeholders to have another look at the erstwhile model of absolute reliance on government for funding and to rejig the educational system for sustainable funding.

“It is also very pertinent to emphasise that the interconnection between our tertiary institutions and industry should be improved upon,” he said.

According to him, the funding of universities worldwide is a collective responsibility of all stakeholders.

He asked for research outputs from tertiary institutions to be more impactful, so that industries could effectively utilise them.

The president, who is a visitor to the university, tasked the graduands to utilise their proficiencies in diverse entrepreneurial activities, agricultural and ICT skills to create jobs and be self-reliant.

In her remarks, the Vice Chancellor of FUTA, Adenike Oladiji, stated that a total of 1,030 graduated from its School of Post-Graduate Studies.

“For today’s event, the summary of the graduating students is as follows: Postgraduate Diploma- 91, M-Tec- 647, Doctor of Philosophy – 169, School of Professional Development –123.

“It is worth noting that the university is producing doctoral graduates in Renewable Energy Technology for the first time,” she said.

She said that all programmes presented to the NUC obtained full accreditation status.

“The university continues to maintain its position as a leading hub of academic and scientific excellence, with numerous staff and alumni earning recognitions among the world’s top two per cent scientists, according to the prestigious ranking by Stanford University, USA, and Elsevier.

“The exploits of our researchers continued to earn recognition within and outside the shores of Nigeria.

“In the just-concluded academic session, three (3) research groups in the university won separate international grants worth 136,511.00 pounds, ” she said.

The VC urges the graduands to be good ambassadors of the institution, stating that FUTA is renowned for its self-reliance and integrity.

Also speaking, the Pro-Chancellor of  FUTA, Nora Daduut, expressed  sincere gratitude to the President  for his visionary leadership and reforms, aimed at repositioning Nigeria.

Ms Daduut, who said that the achievements of the institution’s governing council would not have been possible without he cooperation of the management, said the council had enjoyed a harmonious relationship with all stakeholders.

“The harmonious relationship with management and students has created an enabling environment for teaching, learning and research.

“Staff welfare is held as a priority and development of infrastructure has improved tremendously,” she said.

(NAN)