Support FG’s entrepreneurial policy, Buhari urges universities

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged tertiary institutions in the country to intensify efforts on the actualisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for economic growth and national development.

Buhari said this yesterday at the combined 29th and 30th convocation ceremonies of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA.

He urged them to key into the entrepreneurial/technology policy of the Federal Government.

The President, who was represented by the Director of Accreditation, National University Commission (NUC), Dr. Noel Saliu Biodun, said the roles of universities in economic growth and national development cannot be underemphasized.

According to him, “In this age of ICT, we believe that our universities of technology are pivotal to the actualization of our national development agenda  and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.”

He added, that, the training would help produce highly qualified manpower to solve the problems facing the nation such as insecurity and unemployment.

Buhari said, “It has become imperative for our tertiary institutions to align with the Incheon Education 2030 Agenda which advocates for education for self-reliance, basic skills and competencies needed in the 21st century.

“I enjoin FUTA and indeed all other universities to key into the entrepreneurial/technology education policy of the Federal Government as enunciated in the Economic Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP) and the Ministerial Strategic Plan (MSP).”

This, he said, would empower the graduates to become employers of labour rather than roaming the streets in search of white collar jobs, that are not readily available.

President Buhari reiterated his government’s commitment towards the development of the education sector via infrastructural development and increased funding of universities.

“The FG will continue to provide necessary interventions for infrastructural development, training and retraining of staff and research through the instrument of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) and other sources,” he said.

In his remarks, Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, assured FUTA management and students, that his government would continue to partner with them for ICT revolution and development.