President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Friday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening tertiary education, research and youth development as the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) celebrated its 41st convocation ceremony.
The President and the governor, who were represented by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmed, and the Deputy Governor of Kwara State, Mr. Kayode Alabi, respectively, highlighted their administrations’ interventions in education and the need to equip graduates with skills to contribute to national development.
The event also featured a convocation lecture by Sierra Leone’s Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr Haja Ramatulai Wurie, who called for stronger collaboration between universities, governments and communities to translate academic research into practical solutions.
Addressing the graduands, Tinubu said education remained a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future, urging them to embrace innovation, entrepreneurship, lifelong learning and integrity.
He congratulated the graduating students of the Class of 2026, describing their certificates as instruments for solving problems, creating opportunities and serving humanity.
“In a world increasingly shaped by digital technology and artificial intelligence, I encourage you not only to seek employment, but also to create it,” he said.
The President commended the university for its reputation for academic excellence, institutional discipline, relative industrial stability and prudent resource management.
He also expressed satisfaction with its reported research achievements in areas including drug treatment and artificial intelligence-powered electrocardiogram testing.
Tinubu said the Federal Government would continue to support initiatives aimed at improving teaching and learning, expanding research capacity and preparing graduates to compete in an increasingly interconnected world.
He cited the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), the 3 Million Technical Talent Programme and the Student Innovation Challenge as interventions designed to expand access to education, strengthen infrastructure, develop digital skills and promote entrepreneurship.
According to him, figures available for August 2026 indicated that NELFUND had disbursed more than ₦322 billion to over 1.6 million students nationwide, comprising approximately ₦192 billion for tuition and institutional fees and ₦129 billion for student upkeep allowances.
The President also reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to industrial harmony in tertiary institutions, noting that the Federal Government had signed agreements with academic and non-teaching staff unions on the payment of the Consolidated Academic Tool Allowance (CATA) and the Consolidated Non-Teaching Tool Allowance (CONTA), effective from Jan. 1, 2026.
He described academic and non-teaching personnel as indispensable to the effective functioning of tertiary institutions, stressing that stable academic calendars, staff welfare and constructive engagement were essential to quality education.
On the 2027 general elections, Tinubu urged Nigerians, particularly young people, to participate peacefully and responsibly, warning against political violence, intimidation, hate speech and misinformation.
“Elections are not war. Democracy is a contest of ideas, not violence,” he said.
The President called on citizens to assess candidates based on their records and programmes and to hold public office holders accountable through lawful means.
In his address, AbdulRazaq said education remained a strategic priority of his administration and a foundation for sustainable development, social mobility, innovation and economic growth.
He congratulated the graduands and acknowledged the sacrifices of parents, guardians, lecturers and other individuals who contributed to their academic achievements.
The governor said his administration had supported tertiary education through infrastructure development, funding for accreditation, institutional reforms and initiatives to strengthen capacity across the sector.
AbdulRazaq highlighted the completion of the Osi and Ilesha campuses of Kwara State University and the establishment of the Kwara State University of Education to strengthen teacher education and improve the preparation of future educators.
Other interventions, he said, included improvements to learning facilities, provision of modern educational resources, laboratory equipment, digital learning systems and bursary and scholarship programmes for eligible Kwara indigenes.
The governor stressed that investment in education must go beyond infrastructure to encompass teaching quality, relevant curricula, research and the capacity of institutions to prepare graduates for changing economic realities.
He commended the University of Ilorin’s management, Governing Council, Senate, lecturers and other staff for sustaining its academic standards, assuring that his administration would continue to collaborate with educational institutions to expand opportunities for young people.
Earlier, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr Haja Ramatulai Wurie, urged graduates to apply their knowledge to public service, policymaking and national development.
Delivering the 41st convocation lecture, titled “From Lecture Hall to Cabinet Room: The Journey from Academia to Public Leadership,” Wurie examined how academic expertise and scientific research could inform government decisions and produce practical solutions to societal challenges.
Drawing on her transition from academic research to government leadership, Wurie said effective policymaking required more than statistics, emphasising the need to combine quantitative evidence, qualitative insights, institutional realities and community experiences.
She cautioned against reforms that addressed isolated problems without considering the wider systems responsible for producing them.
“A system produces outcomes through the interaction of its parts. This is why reforms must address bottlenecks, incentives and unintended consequences, not just isolated activities,” she said.
The minister highlighted Sierra Leone’s efforts to develop a national admissions system informed by Nigeria’s Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Central Admissions System.
She explained that successful adoption required adapting relevant lessons to local realities rather than merely replicating another country’s model.
According to her, effective digital public services depend on coordinated procedures, reliable data, privacy safeguards, accountability and public trust, while also accommodating persons with disabilities and applicants in areas with limited internet connectivity.
“Technology is not the system by itself. People, rules, data, governance and support make it work,” she said.
Wurie called for stronger partnerships among universities, governments and communities to ensure research priorities reflected national needs and produced tangible benefits.
“Research capacity is national development capacity. Co-design the questions. Co-lead the work. Share the benefits,” she said.
Reflecting on her transition into public leadership, she said her academic background had remained central to her work in government.
In his convocation address, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, urged the institution’s graduands and academic community to embrace progressive change while preserving the foundations of its achievements.
He said excellence must become an institutional culture rather than a slogan, adding that the university must continually improve its research capacity, institutional visibility and collaborations.
Addressing doctoral graduands, Egbewole said a PhD was not merely a title but a responsibility to advance knowledge and contribute meaningfully to society.
He challenged researchers to translate their findings into practical solutions to problems affecting food security, healthcare, affordable technology, education, manufacturing, environmental sustainability and public policy.
“Take your research beyond the thesis. Take your knowledge beyond the laboratory. Take your discoveries beyond the University gates,” he said.
The vice-chancellor described research as one of the strongest foundations of a modern university, explaining that teaching transmits knowledge, research expands it, while community engagement applies it to human needs.
He said the university’s commitment to these principles had earned it the number one position in research quality in Nigeria.
Egbewole, however, warned that the institution must not rest on its past achievements, stressing the need to sustain research integrity, originality, transparency, responsible authorship and ethical standards.
He also urged the university to institutionalise excellence by developing systems capable of sustaining achievements across successive administrations and generations of students.
The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Surveyor Abiodun Aluko, commended the Federal Government for interventions aimed at improving tertiary education, particularly through TETFund and NELFUND.
He also praised the Staff Welfare and Housing Loan Schemes and the improved relationship between the government and university-based unions, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
Aluko said the relative industrial stability enjoyed by the nation’s tertiary institutions for almost two years had been invaluable to academic activities.
He, however, appealed to the Federal Government to increase funding for research, particularly problem-solving and demand-driven studies capable of addressing the country’s developmental challenges.
“Research is the engine of development. No nation can develop beyond the level of research conducted in its universities,” he said.
