Date: 2019-06-09

Kwara State Government has pledged to help the Kwara State University (KWASU) realise its potentials as a 21st century institution.

Gov. Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara, who is the visitor at the institution's 7th Convocation, and represented by his Deputy, Kayode Alabi, made the pledge on Saturday at Malete.

According to the governor, KWASU is helping in redrawing the map of the country gradually.

"KWASU has brought our state to national and global reckoning and it is heart-warming to note that the institution is indeed punching above its weight in the way it has quickly established itself.

"The institution is as a centre of academic innovation and excellence within just 10 years of its founding.

"The institution is indeed proving to be the university for community development with recent news coming from the institution, including a recent N21 million grant to one of its professors to develop a drone to monitor oil theft and pipeline vandalism.

"I acknowledge that this feat is due largely to the creativity of its administrators and teachers more than it is about the investments by any previous government.

"I therefore congratulate the outgoing Vice Chancellor Prof. AbdulRasheed Na'Allah and his team for their wonderful performance in spite of the meagre resources available to them.

"Our administration will look into how government can complement the ingenuity of the administrators for KWASU to realise its full potentials as a university of the 21st century.

"As I have said in my visits to various ministries and parastatals, I am requesting you to also submit to us a proposal detailing areas we need to come to strengthen this great institution," Abdulrazaq said.

He said since realizing full potentials was not just through funding, it's administration would also improve the quality of primary and secondary education.p in the state.

"This explains why we are so passionate about improving the quality of our primary and secondary education on all fronts.

"Apart from the need to rehabilitate or rebuild the physical structures in our schools, including construction of libraries and provision of ICT centres, there is the need to improve the quality of teaching and boost school attendance.

"It is against this background that we are passionate about improving the welfare and quality of our teachers as well as keying into the National School Feeding Programme of the Federal Government," Abdulrazaq said.

The Chairman of the Governing Council, Saka Nuru said there was the need for a stable financial resource to survive and be a world class university.

"We pray that the original concept of 30 per cent of our need be donated by the 16 Local Governments, while the State Government provides 70 per cent.

"This is to ensure that our IGR be judiciously used for other essential needs and for entrepreneurship," Nuru said.

In his speech, the vice chancellor said it has been 10 years of innovation, hard work and breaking new grounds in spite of non-subventions to the University in the last five years.

"Within a short period of about 10 years, our university has gained tremendous recognition both nationally and internationally.

"Through sustained strategic coherence, we continue to improve our teaching, learning and research facilities to create conducive environment for our academics and students," Na'Allah said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that 1, 196 were awarded degrees out of which 25 have First Class, 592 with Second Class Upper, 533 with Second Class Lower and 46 with Third class.

Olufemi Dada of Mechanical Engineering department emerged as the Best Graduating Student (Male) while Omilola Aminat Olawale of Early Childhood and Primary Education the Best Graduating Student (Female)

NAN also reports that the convocation, which also marks the institution's 10th year anniversary is Na'Allah's last convocation as the vice chancellor having completed a two-term tenure of 5 years each. (NAN)