Prof. Sam Egwu made the call at the convocation lecture of Salem University, Lokoja.

Richard Elesho

Citizenship has been described as the mother of all rights with a call on the universities and other stakeholders to contribute to the emergence of a truly national society through a citizenship system that makes democratic development possible.

A renowned political scientist and Benue State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Sam Egwu made the call at the convocation lecture of Salem University, Lokoja. He spoke on the topic “Tertiary Education, Citizenship and Nigeria’s Democratic Development.”

Egwu proposed a review of Nigeria’s educational policy to rethink the philosophy of education at all levels and improve public funding. He charged “policymakers to recognise the importance of building national cohesion in a deeply divided society by promoting citizenship that addresses the problem of multi-layered citizenship as well as active citizenship that can engage and shape our Electoral democracy to address the challenge of lack of public and political accountability.”

497 graduating students were awarded various degrees at the Convocation ceremony with 471 First Degree graduates broken down into 42 First Class Division; and 247 Second Class Upper Division at the combined convocation ceremony on Friday, 29 November.

Justice Stephen Jonah Adah of the Supreme Court and Acting Chancellor, who doubles as Chairman Board of Trustees of the institution, urged universities to align curricula and outcomes with emerging market demands and workplace dynamics.

Justice Adah said the prevailing economic situation had placed demand on the universities to focus more and more on imparting not just theoretical knowledge but also practical skills to capture evolving industry and labour market realities.

“As we bid these graduates farewell from the secure walls of the university, we must express our worries about the danger signals from the turbulent Nigerian labour market to where they are bound.

“The exit of some foreign companies, the contraction of employment positions, as reported by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), and the high mortality rate of small informal sector businesses including some monetary and fiscal policies, account for the steep rise in the unemployment rate, put recently at 5.3 per cent by Nigerian Labour Force Survey.

“It might interest you to know that 87. 3 per cent of Nigerian workers are self-employed, according to the Nigerian Labour Force Survey of the 3rd Quarter 2023. You could proudly be one of them” he urged.

In the same vein, Bishop Enobong Etteh, Acting Pro-Chancellor, charged the fresh graduates to employ some of the 21st-century skills in creativity, innovation, and enterprise to overcome the challenges of unemployment.

“The labour market challenges should offer you the unique opportunity to convert your knowledge and skills to goods or services that meet the needs of your local or larger global communities”, he said.

Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Alewo Johnson Akubo rendering the account of his four years of stewardship, said all courses of the University had gotten full accreditation, adding that seven new programmes have been licenced by the National Universities Commission in 2023 to commence Postgraduate studies up to PhD levels.

Prof. Akubo poured encomium on the founding Chancellor, Arch Bishop Sam Amaga for his relentless service to humanity and particularly his commitment to the cause of orphans above primordial considerations.