Clement Nnachi, Abakaliki
President Muhammadu Buhari has urged universities across the country, to embark on holistic Educational Research Summit, geared towards fashioning a road -map for the growth and development of the country.
Buhari represented by the Executive Secretary National Universities Commission, Professor Abubakar Rasheed, made the assertion on Tuesday at the 4th Convocation ceremony of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ebonyi State held at the institution.
He said that the outcome and recommendations of such summit would fast track the speedy development of critical sectors of the economy.
“Our development would strive if we succeed in getting our research developments right, that is why the FG through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) under the Energizing Education Programme completed the 2.8 MW Solar Hybrid Power Plant in various universities across the country.
“The academia in the country must inculcate the huge population indices in the country into a research of knowledge.”
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He reiterated the commitment of the federal government towards the educational growth and development of the country stressing that the administration would continue to facilitate the infrastructural developments of universities.
The President said that the federal government was poised to provide hybrid-solar plants across the 37 federal universities and seven Teaching hospitals in the country.
“I call on universities in the country to continue to support the federal government policies and programmes aimed at creating a peaceful and cohesive nation devoid of ethnic, religious and tribal differences”
“I congratulate the graduands, I urge you to remain focused and disciplined, be good ambassadors of your alma-mater”
Earlier in his address, the Vice-Chancellor of the ivory tower, Professor Chinedum Nwajiuba, appealed to the federal government to assist the ivory tower rehabilitate several facilities destroyed by windstorm.
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“In 2019 there was a windstorm in the institution that destroyed the school library, ICT Block, Faculty of Science Block, as well as some solar street light poles , it will cost N500 million to remodel this structures”
The vice-chancellor stated that a total of 512 graduands from various faculties graduated at the convocation while 20 bagged First Class honours .
He opined, “of this 512, twenty (20) came out with First Class Honours while the best graduating student obtained 4.82 CGPA, 205 emerged with Second Class Honours (Upper Division), 263 with Second Class Honours (Lower Division) and 24 emerged with Third Class”
The vice chancellor enjoined the graduands to make excellence and integrity their guiding principle insisting that they must work hard to be successful in life.
Nwajiuba said that the university was successful in the 2018/2019 National Universities Commission Accreditation exercise stating ” of the twenty eight (28) programmes presented, two earned interim accreditation while 26 earned full accreditation”
According to him, “we are celebrating the first set of graduands from the School of Postgraduate Studies with five persons obtaining a Master of Science and 13 persons earning Postgraduate Diploma.
A highlight of the occasion was the conferment of posthumous Honorary Doctorate degrees on a distinguished personality named Dr. Philip Effiong for his integrity and excellence in the discharge of his duties.
The convocation ceremony was preceded with a Lecture titled, “The Role of the Academia in Nation Building and National Integration in Nigeria” delivered by the Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission Professor Abubakar Rasheed.
The event was witnessed by graduands of various disciplines, management and staff of the institution, members of the academia, the Chancellor of the university Oba Michael Adedotun Gbadebo, Royal fathers, youths, relatives and members of the Ebonyi State Executive Council among others.
It would be recalled that the Alex Ekwueme University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo was among the nine federal Universities established in February 2011 by the administration of the then President Goodluck Jonathan.