President Bola Tinubu has emphasised his government’s commitment to develop the science and technology base of the country to engender sustainable development.
Tinubu who stated this at the 19th convocation ceremony of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State at the weekend described technical education as critical in productive citizens and driving national development particularly for a country striving for economic growth and global competitiveness.
Represented by the director of polytechnic education and allied institutions in the Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Ejeh Usman, the president said his administration had recorded giant strides in funding of education and assured that the government was committed to exploring more initiatives for higher achievements.
He urged the polytechnic and other technical institutions not to backtrack in producing skilled and entrepreneurial graduates capable of carving out a niche for themselves and be relevant to the growth of national economy.
He said; “As a nation we must ensure our relevance in the global landscape and set the stage for long term progress and prosperity. We cannot afford to lag behind in the global technological development.
“As a government, we are aware of the role and impact of quality education with respect to science and technological development. It can never be overstated that education is the key to this. This informed government’s unwavering commitment to the educational growth of our nation.
“There are several grants and intervention schemes which educational institutions are beneficiaries of in order to train and develop manpower, promote research and aid teaching and learning.”
The president further enumerated several projects the polytechnic had benefitted through TETFUND interventions, including sponsorship of staff of the institution in both local and foreign Institutions for their post-graduate programmes and attendance of workshops and conferences.
Earlier, rector of the institution, Engr Dr Francisca Nwafulugo, said the convocation covered the 2010/2011 to 2020/2021 graduating session.
She appreciated the staff for their commitment and diligence in imparting knowledge, guidance and mentorship in molding and shaping the minds of the graduates, just as he commended the graduates for adhering to rules and regulations during their stay in the school.
