Professor of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, Michael O. Faborode, has charged universities in the country to key into the concept of sustainable development, especially as growing academia-industry disconnect worries continue to mount in leaps.
Faborode, former vice-chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife said that with galloping unemployment and underemployment, Nigeria need her universities to engage in teaching, research to produce manpower needed to run the economy for prosperity and growth that generates and sustains jobs, as well as solve most if not all their existential problems.
The Former Secretary-General, Association of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU) while delivering a lecture on the topic ‘Sustainable Development, Post-COVID-19: Is Nigeria’s Growing Population a Curse or Multiple Blessings?” at the 5th Convocation ceremony of McPherson university said Nigerian universities, must lead Nigeria’s commitment to the SDGs.
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“Universities need to take the challenge of leading the global developmental march very seriously because it is intrinsically embedded in their mission and purpose. Nations must realise and deliberately take advantage of these potency of their universities”, Faborode said.
He noted that managers of the economy must understand that they need their university sectors to produce and apply knowledge, and to produce knowledgeable and well-skilled workers across the skills spectrum.
According to him, Universities must therefore be well funded and accorded needed recognition, and in return they must not be found wanting in responding to this crucial need that will determine their local relevance, global visibility and social value”.
The university don further opine that to deliver the badly needed SDGs and targets, Nigeria need trustworthy, ethical, honest and impartial government institutions that exercise public power, oversee policies fairly and take into account their range, complexity and occasional incompatibility.
Adeniyi Agunbiade, Vice-chancellor of the university in his address at the convocation tagged ‘Unto Greater Heights’ said the prompt embrace of digital transformation and online learning had been part of various programmes created to orientate students and staff before the Coronavirus pandemic.
“McPherson University swung into online academic mode to maximize time during the COVID-19 pandemic that threatened all industries and nations of the world”.
Earlier James Nda Jacob, acting Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of governing council of the university appeal to Government to collaborate with private institutions, through their inclusion in TETFUND and also through relaxed taxation as this will help in preparing the next generations of skilled and ethical professionals.
“I implore all other stakeholders here physically present today or participating virtually, to come on board as we build a University where students will learn godly character, technical and relational skills to serve as leaders, role models and competent professionals,” Jacob said.
Highlight of the 5th convocation saw Aduekpe Precious Edinaeval, from the Department of Accounting and Finance (Accounting Programme), emerged the overall best graduating student with a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 4.97 (the highest in the last four sessions)
Chidueme Emmanuel Chukwuemelie, from the Department of Religious Studies, emerged the second-best with a CGPA of 4.84, while Olatunji Mercy Temilola, from the Department of Mass Communication emerged the third best with a CGPA of 4.76.
