Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged education stakeholders to prioritize science and technology as critical tools for Nigeria’s development and global competitiveness.
Shettima said this on Friday at the 48th Convocation Lecture of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, titled: “From Campus to Career: Navigating Life’s Realities and Embracing Entrepreneurship in a Changing World”.
Any country that is not well positioned for the innovation will have its wealth sucked out to countries at the leading edge, he submitted.
The vice-president, represented by Dr Tope Fasua, the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs in the Office of the Vice-President, added that citizens of such countries would only buy foreign goods and services.
He also commended the successive management of the institution for maintaining the founders’ dream by being one of the best architectures in Nigeria and Africab universities.
“OAU is one of the best universities in Nigeria, Africa and the world at large that has produced thousands of world changers in every field in arts and sciences.
“The graduands should utilise the information and privilege at their disposal as a great opportunity towards greater achievements in the future.
“These graduands are more connected to this tech-driven world, so they should make use of the opportunity to change Nigeria for better.
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“Nigeria is a beautiful, great country in which you can easily fulfill your heart’s desire, thrive and achieve all those hierarchical needs of self-accomplishment and self-transcendent.
“You live in that particular epoch, that very brand of privileged youth where your creative juices are at peak, where your ability for risk-taking is enhanced, where the world is indeed your oyster,” he said.
Shettima said every person desires to live in developed nations where it seems that everything needed for human comfort is already achieved.
“Those countries paid several prices in sweat and blood, in human beings, wars, strive, famine, plagues and what not to get where they are.
“Luckily, ease of sharing information, progress of science and technology, better understanding of arts and humanities, has ensured that we may not pass the same trajectory as those nations.
“Graduands should not follow the footsteps of youths that create shortcuts through fraud, diabolic practices, manipulation, theft and robbery, kleptomania, or join yahoo plus to get rich quickly.
“They should be prayerful, hardworking, diligent, faithful and truthful, avoid playing tricks on their employees, and the entrepreneurs should avoid arrogance,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Friday was the second day of the 48th convocation ceremonies.
NAN also reports that a Pharmacy graduand, Bisola Akinyuwa got 4.97 GPA as the overall best for 2023/2024 academic session.
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