The Speaker,
House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara has charged universities in the
country to embrace innovation and excellence in their quest to train graduates
for national development.
Dogara gave
the charge yesterday at the 16th matriculation Lecture of Covenant University,
Ota, Ogun State.While delivering a lecture on Leadership By Products: The Role
of Universities, he noted that no nation could move forward and achieve
meaningful development without innovation and qualitative education.
“It is
compulsory for the nation’s tertiary institutions to be innovative and
qualitative in its education so as to attract positive global ranking and
national development,” he said.
Dogara, who
said the role of universities in nurturing leaders could not be overemphasised,
said they must be ready to debate pleasant and unpleasant issues to raise the
bar in robust academic research and discussions.
He,
therefore, charged universities to take the lead in empowering their students
and serve as centres of excellence and innovation saying without it, no
university could compete with their peers and attain recognition.
He assured
that the National Assembly would consider policies that would ensure innovation
and qualitative education in the nation’s universities to impact on national
development.Dogara also said the House would be willing to consider new laws
that encourage productive research between private and public universities in
the country.
He called
for a new approach to education in the country, adding that Nigeria and other
African countries do not encourage students to discover their potentials and
skills that would make them employers of labour. He stressed the need for the
country to change its old mentality to ensure that the glory of the black race
is restored.
0 Comments