FG should increase funding of youth education — Tinubu

 

A former governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has called on the Federal Government to increase its investment in the education sector, particularly on the youth.

According to him, the country should not expect to reap the fruit of good education if it fails to invest in the education of her youths.

Tinubu said this on Saturday in Abuja in his acceptance speech after the conferment of a Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris causa) on him by the Nigerian Turkish Nile University at its fourth convocation.

The institution graduated 124 students from seven departments and awarded the same Honourary Degree of Science, (Honoris causa) to the Chairman, South East Council of Traditional Rulers and Chairman, Governing Council of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, His Royal Majesty, Eze Dr. Eberechi Dick.

The APC leader, represented by a former member of the House of Representatives, Opeyemi Bamidele, said quality education was the bedrock of producing youths who would contribute to national growth and development.

He stressed that the improvement of the educational sector was a collective responsibility as government could not bear it alone.

He said, “Nigeria cannot expect to reap the fruit of good education if it fails to invest in the education of her youths. The resultant effects have been the graduation of unemployable graduates. These have impacted negatively on their contribution to national growth and development.

“To a very large extent, most of the successful leaders in the world today are products of quality tertiary education at educationally reputable institutions. I proffer a collective effort in this regard because to ask only the government to take care of everything will be mere wishful thinking.”

In his remarks, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, represented by the Chairman, Committee on Education, Aminu Suleiman, said the government was ready to provide a soft landing for foreign investors willing to further develop the country, especially the educational sector.

He said, “We are willing and ready to encourage government to continue to liberalise our laws so that more investors will come into the educational sector. It is not possible for only the government to develop our education sector. The House of Representatives will continue to partner with all noble groups that desire to help Nigeria achieve her objectives.”

The Vice-Chancellor of NTNU, Prof. Huseyin Serf, charged the graduates to make an impact in their fields.