.Osun State VC Says Nigerian Varsities Training Students For Obsolete Jobs
The University of Nigeria Nsukka(UNN) and Hightech System Limited are to partner in tractor assembling, manufacturing and other tractor value chain services as part of Higher Institution Tractorisation Initiative(HITI).
The Joint venture Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Tuesday, August 8 in Abuja between UNN and HITI under the Partnership Development Programme on Nigeria Agricultural Mechanisation Local Content Support Initiative.
Speaking at the event, Ike Willie-Nwobu, Transactional Adviser to HITI, said that the project would be domiciled at the Anambra Motor Manufacturing Company(ANAMMCO) plant, Enugu.
He said that an Israel automotive firm would be providing mentorship and guardian manufacturing support.
According to him, the technical support is under the auspices of Chinese-Israeli European Technical Partnership Guide with the Digital Bridge Institute, Abuja providing Tractor Information and Communication Management System (TICMS).
The transactional adviser said that the initiative was necessitated by the need to develop agriculture and agro-business.
He said: “This initiative is conceptualised to ensure the following: begin and sustain local manufacturing and maintenance of tractors in addition to value addition for the farmers who are using the tractors.
“Support to agriculture thus leading to the stated diversification of the economy from a mono-product economy to a multi-product economy.
“Invest in Medium and Small Scale Enterprises which will drive the economy on Nigeria.
“Create jobs by restoring the functionality of ANAMMCO in addition to empowering farmers and others along the value chain.”
Willie-Nwobu said that the global linkages and partnerships provided by the MoU would create global competitiveness.
On his part, UNN’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba, said that the initiative would fast-track sustainable agricultural mechanisation in Nigeria using higher institutions as focal centres.
Ozumba said that the medium and long term goal of the initiative was to leverage the huge concentration of skilled manpower and human resources in universities to provide solutions to tractor challenges in Nigeria.
Said Ozumba: “Students, under close supervision and mentorship would be drafted to assemble tractors, provide service/maintenance back-up and operations so that farming and food security initiative of the Federal Government.
“In addition to providing solution to food challenges, students of our higher institutions will have the opportunity to serve as extension staff, learn in practical terms and contribute to their communities while earning good money at same time.
“The proposed HITI will be powered through the four platforms-Tractor Assembly Manufacturing Production (TAMP), Tractor Value Chain Support Services (TVCSS), Tractor Vocational and Entrepreneurship Programme (TCEP) and Tractor Outreach/Extension Workshop Support Centres(TOEWSC).
“The initiative will also incorporate partnership with optional Asian-Turkey-European and Israel systems and institutions for Integrated Agric/Farm project, Modern Agricultural/Mechanisation Innovation Relay Centres.”
Ozumba added that the project was geared towards providing alternative tools of thinking for the country using innovation linkages.
In his remark, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, said the Federal Government was committed to making agriculture attractive to young graduates.
Represented by Kayode Obasa, Director of Economic Growth in the ministry, Udoma said that the Federal Government would continue to promote agro-mechanisation platforms in the country.
The minister added that Nigeria needed additional 100,000 to 200,000 tractors in the next five years to meet its agro-production target.
Meanwhile, the Vice Chancellor of Osun State University, Labode Popoola, on Tuesday, said that Nigerian universities are training students for jobs that no longer exist.
Popoola made the assertion in a lecture delivered in Kaduna at the maiden Postgraduate Lecture Series of Kaduna State University, KASU.
The vice chancellor said that the development was in sharp contrast with what obtained in world class universities which were training students for future jobs.
The don said that the absence of meaningful research in the universities has crippled the quest for creativity and innovation required to unleash sustainable development.
He said contemporary Nigerian universities and research systems cannot contribute to national development due to absences of academic culture that drives process for good governance.
According to him, graduates of world class universities are sought after because they carry out leading-edge research and are engaged in technology transfer.
“This can only be obtained where there is high concentration of talented lectures and students, abundant resources and favourable governance.
“But what do we see in Nigerian universities; poor funding, poor planning, collapse of academic culture, corruption and blurred vision among others.”
He advised the academia in Nigeria to come up with new ideas and engage the rest of the world through inter and multidisciplinary research collaboration.
The chairman of the occasion, A.S. Nwankwo, of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, described the lecture as crucial in the discourse on the relevance of the Nigerian universities to the society.
On his part, Abubakar Saddique, of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, who was the lead discussant, traced the root cause of challenges in the education system to poor service delivery at the basic level.
He said that students were poorly prepared at primary and secondary school levels for university education.
According to him, the business of universities is to identify societal problems and conduct research to solve them.
“Since Nigerian universities cannot adequately prepare their students to effectively address contemporary problems, how can they prepare them for challenges of the future?
“The country needs a bottom up approach; from the basic to the tertiary institutions to be able to address the rot in our education system.”
Earlier, the Dean, Post Graduate School, KASU, Abdullahi Ashafa, said that post graduate students represent the pool for the next generation of academicians.
Ashafa explained that the lecture was designed to address the issue of quality of training in the university system, to ensure competitiveness of graduates in the continuously changing world.
In a related matter, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, has urged Nigerian universities to introduce anti-corruption courses for their undergraduates.
The Acting Chairman of the Commission, Ibrahim Magu, made the call on Tuesday during a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, NUC, Adamu Rasheed.
Magu said the EFCC has decided to sponsor over the next 10 years up to 20 Ph.D researches on any aspect of corruption, beginning from 2018.
“The EFCC wants NUC to lead in the introduction of anti-corruption curricula in all Nigerian universities to be taken by all fresh undergraduate students regardless of course or discipline,” he said.
“Whether one is studying Accounting or Building Engineering, Food Sciences or Marine Biology, Political Science or Pharmacy, being exposed to a rigorous and evidence-based knowledge of corruption and its consequences on polity and economy as well as individual self-esteem would be beneficial to the nation, the community and individual,” Magu said.
He said the EFCC would also support the publication of manuscripts relevant to the teaching of the anti-corruption course.
Magu said the commission wants everyone to join in the fight against corruption, adding that the university system is very important and that the youth remain the commission’s target.
“We want everybody to join in the fight against corruption, because the university system is very important and we want to target the youth because they are the beneficiaries of whatever we are doing, which is better life for the next generation.
“I am not saying the NUC has not been fighting corruption but I want to intensify the fight.
“Our request is course units that will address the fight against corruption,” he said.
Responding, the Executive Secretary of the NUC said the commission would soon begin consultation with academics, critical stakeholders and other specialists on the best way the curriculum on fight against corruption can be put together.
.NAN