Radda, Abiodun, Olubadan, Other Bag Fellowship Awards

The Katsina State governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, his Ogun State counterpart, Prince Dapo Abiodun, as well as the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rasidi Adewolu Ladoja were among eminent personalities honoured with the Fellowship Awards of the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro (now Federal University of Technology, Ilaro) on Wednesday during the 23rd Convocation ceremony of the institution.

This was just as the Minister of Education, Dr. Moruf Alausa, called on graduates of higher institutions in Nigeria to deploy the skills and knowledge they have acquired towards addressing the myriad of challenges hindering national development.

Alausa, who spoke during the institution’s 23rd convocation of ceremony in Ilaro, insisted that the federal government remain committed to addressing the challenge of Higher National Diploma/Degree dichotomy through several reforms including efforts to strengthen the polytechnics towards becoming degree awarding institutions.

Represented by the Director of Polytechnic and Allied Institutions, Mrs. Igwe Amy, the minister, disclosed that President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on education remains on course and would spare no effort to consolidate on strengthening the education sector to enhance national productivity.

Alausa however, rejoiced with the graduands, e pressing the optimism that “with your skills and determination, you can be part of the solution.

“As you embark on the next stage, be bold, innovative and entrepreneurial. Harness your skills to drive positive change and represent Nigeria with pride,” he said.

He added that it is also instructive to remind Nigerians that the renewed hope agenda for education is on course.

Alusa explained that President Tinubu’s administration is increasingly focused on consolidating the education sector and making technical and vocational education training a pivot for promoting productivity and propulsive development.

“In order to achieve this, several legacy projects and reforms have been introduced to revitalize the system, most especially the tertiary education, and these include the newly revised curriculum scheduled to take effect in the 2025-2026 academic session.

“The new curriculum has now reduced the number of subjects to be done in primary and secondary schools to promote deeper learning, mandatory vocational skill learning and introduction of new vocational subjects, including solar PV installation and robotics,” he said.

In the Convocation Lecture held delivered, Radda charged the 0ver 8, 000 graduands of the institution to combine their academic training with strong digital competence to compete globally and driven national development.

The Katsina governor, who was represented at the event by his deputy, Faruk Lawal, in his lecture titled: ” Fundamental Skills and Job Creation Tools For Graduands In The 21st Century,” emphasized that Nigeria stands on the verge of an unprecedented digital growth where several opportunities abound and as such, the graduands must position themselves well in character and skill to enable them seize the opportunities for economic gains.

“My challenge to you is simple: let your generation be remembered as the one that moved Nigeria from potential to productivity, from dependence to digital competitiveness, and from unemployment to innovation-driven prosperity,” he said.

Speaking earlier, the acting vice chancellor of the institution, Dr Mikhail Akinde said that the convocation produced 8, 713 graduands out of which 3,067 received Higher National Diplomas in various disciplines while the remaining 5646 earned Ordinary National Diplomas.