• Tinubu canvasses sector’s digital transformation, sustainable human capital devt Hammed Shittu in Ilorin 348 vice chancellors of the nation’s universities under the aegis of Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) yesterday converged in Ilorin, Kwara State capital to strategise on the future of the nation’s varsities. The gathering is expected draw a “map” by which the varsities can compete with their contemporaries across the globe. The CVCNU 37th Annual General Assembly conference themed: “Building Resilient Universities for Nigeria,” held at the main auditorium of the University of Ilorin. The special guest of honour, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in his address at the conference, charged Nigerian universities to go beyond traditional focus on awarding degrees and reposition themselves as centres of innovation, practical skills, research and national development. Represented by the Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaibat Saidu Ahmad, Tinubu said the country could not achieve sustainable economic transformation without corresponding investment in human capital. He described universities as critical partners in the federal government’s development agenda, stressing that they must produce graduates capable of responding to the realities of a rapidly changing global economy. “Universities are more than institutions where degrees are awarded. They are centres of knowledge creation, innovation, critical thinking, entrepreneurship, cultural development and national transformation,” he said. According to him, Nigerian universities must produce graduates who are not only academically sound but also innovative, ethical, digitally competent, entrepreneurial, adaptable and capable of solving real-world problems. He challenged university authorities to reconsider the quality and relevance of graduates being produced, particularly in an era dominated by artificial intelligence, automation, biotechnology, data science, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing. “The question before us is no longer simply whether our universities are producing graduates. The more foundational question is: what kind of graduates are we producing? How effectively are our universities preparing them to contribute to Nigeria’s economic and social transformation?” he asked. Tinubu said his administration was pursuing reforms aimed at improving the quality, relevance, accessibility, affordability and accountability of tertiary education. He explained that the Federal Ministry of Education was implementing the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative, with particular attention to institutional governance, quality assurance, research and innovation, digital transformation, skills development and stronger university-industry linkages. The president called for stronger practical training in Nigerian universities, saying that academic knowledge must be complemented by hands-on experience. He disclosed that the government had begun reviewing curricular, particularly in agriculture, to shift the emphasis from theory to practical training. “We are moving away from 70 per cent theory and 30 per cent practical to a robust 80 per cent practical and 20 per cent theory,” he said. He added that accreditation requirements would now compel universities, faculties and departments of agriculture to establish partnerships with relevant industries with students expected to undertake industrial attachments throughout their academic programmes. According to him, the same approach would gradually be extended to other disciplines through the review of the Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS). Tinubu further urged vice-chancellors to strengthen research partnerships with government, industry, development partners and communities so that research findings could be transformed into products, services, policies, technologies and practical solutions to national challenges. “Nigeria cannot become a globally competitive economy by relying primarily on the consumption of knowledge generated elsewhere,” he said. “Our universities must become powerful engines of research, innovation, technology development and entrepreneurship,” he said. Tinubu also emphasised the importance of effective university governance, urging CVCNU to strengthen accountability, improve institutional planning and deploy public resources prudently. He noted that vice-chancellors were not only academic leaders but also managers, employers, financial stewards, community leaders and strategic partners in national development. “Leadership, vice-chancellorship, is not about research. It is about administrative skills. It is about the ability to manage both research and humans at the same time,”
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