The Pro-chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, Federal University Lokoja, Kogi State, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, on Saturday urged the federal government to provide more fundings to address challenges faced by the nation’s universities.
Senator Ndoma-Egba disclosed at the Weekend during the university’s 8th Convocation Ceremony.
He said that universities are not just institutions and centers of learning, but the foundations for the nation’s intellectual and innovative future.
The pro-chancellor tasked the federal government to considers special provisions that would lead to the reduction of the operating costs of all federal universities in the country.
According to him, the challenges include, lack of laboratories, shortage of critical personnel, especially for the programmes, library holdings, utilities, road networks, office and student accommodation.
“The prevailing global and national economic crisis has led to dwindling funding to universities, world over,” he said.
He told the the graduands to go out and impact the society positively, since the university had equipped them with academic knowledge and built a foundation of integrity, character and moral excellence during the course of their sojourn in the school.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the university , Professor Olayemi Akinwumi, stated that 1,863 students were conferred with first degrees out of a total of 2,196 graduating students across diverse fields of study in the 8th convocation ceremony.
According to him, Faculty of Science with 783 graduands top the list, followed by the Faculty of Management Sciences with 99 graduating students while PhD and master degree have 7 and 190 graduands respectively.
He added that among the graduands, 41 students get first class, 461 awarded with second class upper while 974 students fall under second class, 384 get third class and 3 students fall under pass.
He said the National University Commission (NUC) has accredited all programmes being run in the institution.
“Out of the 42 programs presented, 34 received full accreditation, while eight (8) were granted interim accreditation”, he said .
He said the institution has equipped the graduating students with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in their endeavours, reminding them to express these qualities to set them apart in the world.
“As you step into the next phase of your life, I charge you to be bold, innovative, and committed to making a positive impact in whatever field you choose to pursue.
“You are the ambassadors of Federal University Lokoja. Carry the values you have learned here with you—honesty, hard work, humility, and a commitment to excellence”, he said .
