TINUBU, GOV IDRIS, KEBBI, BORNO DEPUTY GOVS, ALIERO, OTHERS GRACE FUBK COMBINED CONVOCATION CEREMONY

The Federal University Birnin Kebbi held its maiden (combined) 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th convocation ceremony on Saturday 12th October, 2024.

The ceremony which took place at the main campus of the University, was attended by high profile personalities from all walks of life, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, the Visitor to the University who was ably represented by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu.

Other dignitaries at the event were Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi State and the Deputy Governors of Kebbi and Borno States. Also at the occasion were Senator Muhammadu Adamu Aliero, Secretaries to Kebbi and Borno State Governments, Members of Federal and Kebbi State Executive Council, as well as visiting Vice Chancellors and Heads of the other tertiary institutions in the State. The Emir of Argungu, Muhammadu Samaila Mera was also personally at the event and represented His Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto, while Emirs of Gwandu, Yauri and Zuru, were ably represented.

In his remarks, President Tinubu assured that the Federal Government was working to makeeducation more accessible to Nigerians. He urged universities to partner with industries to explore outcomes of research to facilitate national development. He described education as very important in the life of every individual.

The president said “the government is not unaware of infrastructural deficit in the education sector, particularly in the universities. Given this, deliberate and sincere efforts are being made to address these challenges in order to guarantee the provision of quality education.

”It is in this regard that this administration has increased budgetary allocation to education because of the importance it attached to the sector.”

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Muhammad Zaiyan-Umar, said 3,373 graduands recieved degrees in various fields of endeavours covering the five academic sessions. He congratulated the graduands and their families for attaining this milestone.

In his speech, the Chancellor of the university, the HRM Obi of Obinugwu, Cletus Ikechukwu Ilomuanya, CON said the university, just like other sister- institutions, had been largely dependent on the Federal Government in the discharge of its mandate.

However, it is also a fact that government cannot continue to shoulder all our needs in the face of competing demands on the nation’s scarce resources.

”It is, therefore, incumbent upon all the stakeholders in the educational enterprise to come forward with their contributions. In particular, I call on financially endowed individuals to invest in education at all levels. We at the FUBK are available for partnership in all areas of human endeavour,” he said.

The Chancellor congratulated distinguished personalities who had been listed for the award of honorary Degrees of the great university at this ceremony. The honour, he said, was well- deserved in respect of each one of them for the services they had rendered to the humanity.

On his part, the Pro-Chancellor of the university, His Excellency, Alhaji Ali Abubakar-Jatau, registered the profound appreciation for the support the university had been receiving from federal government and governors of Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina and Niger States.

The support, he added, had at various occasions supported the university in different forms in times of needs and sometimes voluntarily on their own without requests.

In his remarks, the Governor of Kebbi, Dr Nasir Idris, congratulated the graduands for the achievement they had recorded in their educational pursuance.

The university conferred Honorary Doctorate degree on former Governor of Kebbi, Alhaji Sa’idu Dakingari; Alhaji Muhammadu Indimi, the Sole Founder and Chairman of Oriental Energy Resources Limited and Mr Leo Stan Ekeh, the Chairman of Zinox Group and Founder of Konga.com as well as Amb. Alhaji Abubakar Sani (Makaman Sokoto).