Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari has told graduands at Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka, Anambra State, that a university degree won’t necessarily usher them into an El Dorado.
He warned that a university degree is not a meal ticket, saying that, rather, a degree or diploma would only assist the holder to grapple with challenges of life, one of which, he noted, is youth unemployment.
According to the Punch report, Buhari stated this on Friday at the 13th Convocation ceremony for the conferment of higher degrees, postgraduate diplomas and honorary degrees at the Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka, Anambra State.
While saying that his administration would address youth unemployment and underemployment, Buhari called on the youths to embrace the opportunities the Federal Government had put in place to mitigate the unemployment situation for the time being.
He said, “You are cautioned that university degrees do not usher you into an El Dorado. It rather equips you with the competence to grapple with the ever-changing challenges of life, of which youth unemployment is a vexatious part.
“The Federal Government will remain undaunted in tackling the challenges of youth unemployment and underemployment through a matrix of initiatives.”
He listed such initiatives to include: N-Power, the Bank of Industry Youth Entrepreneurship Support Programme and the Central Bank of Nigeria and Bank of Agriculture Support Schemes.
Buhari, whose address was read by the Minister of State for Education, Anthony Anwuka, commended the management of the university for the infrastructure development on campus.
In his address, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Joseph Ahaneku, said the 13th convocation of the institution was for the 2017/2018 academic year.
No fewer than 6,500 graduates were conferred with first degrees, 182 postgraduate diplomas, while 763 were conferred with Masters degrees and 269 got PhD degrees.
The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe and Chief Emeka Offor were conferred with honorary doctorate degrees in science, politics and strategy and entrepreneurship respectively.
