Bauchi State Governor, Sen Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, on Saturday hailed Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) for its commitment to academic excellence in all ramifications.
The Governor therefore congratulated the management of the university on the graduation of its first set of medical students.
Bala Mohammed was speaking at the 26th, 27th, 28th, and 29th combined convocation ceremonies of the university held at its Gumbi campus.
The governor said that, in appreciation of the development, the state government would very much like to absorb the graduated medical students in a move to address the shortage of medical doctors in its healthcare facilities.
The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Rt. Hon. Mohammed Auwal Jatau, said that Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, has consistently been a beacon of knowledge and innovation, standing tall among its contemporaries in the country.
He noted that the institution’s commitment to excellence and pursuit of knowledge is evident in its outstanding academic programmes, dedicated faculty members, and state-of-the-art facilities.
He added that through its holistic approach to education, ATBU Bauchi has nurtured generations of leaders who have gone on to make significant contributions in various fields of human endeavour.
The governor made it unequivocally clear that the Bauchi State government fully subscribes to the truism that education is the bedrock of progress and development, considering its importance.
He stressed that no society can thrive without a strong educational foundation, hence its unwavering commitment to enhancing educational infrastructure, providing scholarships and grants, and improving access to quality education for all.
He explained that his administration’s commitment to the educational sector has been unwavering, as reflected in the various policies and programmes so far implemented in the sector.
Bala Mohammed added that the implementation of new policies, particularly leveraging technology and robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, has successfully reduced waste and corruption in the educational system.
According to him, “Today’s momentous event marks a significant milestone in the lives of our graduating students, who have successfully traversed the challenging path of higher education and are now ready to embark on the next chapter of their lives.”
“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the graduating students. As your fellow citizen and Executive Governor of this great state, I am an advocate of innovation, progress, and development,” he added.
He also said that, “In our commitment to fairness, the investment in educational reform and infrastructure will be distributed across higher institutions in the state.”
Bala Mohammed also said that, “Additionally, we provided land and buildings to support the establishment of new institutions by the Federal Government in Azare and Jama’are. While acknowledging these achievements, we recognise there is more work to be done. That is why we have established a Ministry of Higher Education.”
“Due to the economic challenges faced by parents, we have restored and increased scholarships for Bauchi State indigenes by 50%, with plans for further increments as our resources improve,” he added.
The Governor added that, “Furthermore, I have declared a state of emergency in the education sector. The focus will be on modernising our curriculum to instill Bauchi-first consciousness and foster digital literacy for the benefit of students.”
Bala Mohammed then reiterated his administration’s commitment to continue investing in the education sector, creating an enabling environment for educational institutions to flourish, and assured that it will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that all eligible citizens of the state have access to quality education to compliment the efforts of institutions in producing excellent graduates who will lead society towards a brighter future.
He therefore expressed his deepest gratitude to each and every individual associated with ATBU for their relentless efforts in ensuring academic excellence and promised a continued mutual relationship between the institution and the state government.
In a keynote address, the visitor to the university, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented by Mr Ocheido James of the Federal Ministry of Education, assured that his administration will continue to do everything within its power and limited resources to ensure that university education in Nigeria is improved in tune with global best practices.
The President stressed that “Nigerian universities have witnessed untold harsh situations over the years due to frequent strike actions. We are now focused on creating an enabling environment for sustainable dialogue in order to bring frequent strike actions by staff unions in the Nigerian university system to a permanent end.”
He assured thatwe will address some of the root causes of strikes in our universities and other tertiary institutions to put an end to wanton disruptions of the academic calendar and waste of time in our universities.”
Bola Ahmed Tinubu added that “I will like to inform you that the present administration is steadily and conscientiously studying the education sector, including the tertiary subsector, with the view of finding a formidable blueprint for achieving greater success in service delivery.”
According to him, The university system in Nigeria has come a long way and has recorded a lot of unquantifiable achievements in the training of professionals in every field and experts in various disciplines that are contributing to the development of not only our dear country but the world at large.”