President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ensuring a stable academic calendar, improved staff welfare and uninterrupted power supply across Nigerian universities, declaring that education remains central to his Renewed Hope Agenda.

The President also announced the introduction of a Staff Loan Scheme for academic and non-academic workers in tertiary institutions, aimed at reducing financial pressure and boosting productivity.

Tinubu said that for the current year, a total of ₦40bn had been earmarked for the scheme, with individual loan amounts ranging from ₦1m to ₦10m.

The President made this known on Saturday at the 45th convocation ceremony of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, where he was represented by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad.

Congratulating the university community, Tinubu described the convocation as “a testament to persistent commitment to rigorous academic pursuits” and commended ABU for sustaining excellence in teaching, research and community service.

He urged the institution to remain aligned with the Federal Government’s Federal Tertiary Institutions Governance and Transparency Programme, which he said was designed to promote accountability, transparency and data-driven governance in tertiary education.

“This programme is a significant step taken by the Federal Government to modernise higher education management and restore public trust, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda,” the President stated, adding that ABU’s compliance had kept it among the country’s leading universities.

Tinubu stressed that the growth and development of academic institutions depended largely on a stable academic calendar, assuring Nigerians that his administration was determined to avoid disruptions in the education sector.

“I reaffirm this Administration’s commitment to keeping our educational institutions open in accordance with their approved academic calendars and to avoiding disruptions in the nation’s educational system,” he said.

He disclosed that the Federal Government had adopted a unified negotiation framework through the Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee to enhance efficiency in engagements with university-based unions.

The President commended the committee, led by Alhaji Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, for facilitating the agreement reached with the Academic Staff Union of Universities and appealed to other unions to remain patient, assuring them that comprehensive agreements would be concluded in due course.

On staff welfare, Tinubu explained that the Staff Loan Scheme was designed to support workers across tertiary institutions and enable them to focus on quality teaching, research and service delivery.

According to him, the Federal Ministry of Education had partnered with the Bank of Industry to provide zero-interest loans to eligible staff, with the Federal Government bearing the full cost of the interest.

“As I speak to you now, some of the beneficiaries have started collecting their monies since last year. For the current year, a total sum of ₦40bn has been earmarked for disbursement,” he said.

The President also commended the ABU management for reducing electricity costs through effective energy conservation and urged the institution to develop a comprehensive energy policy to ensure sustainable power management.

He revealed that under the Energising Education Programme, the Federal Government, in collaboration with the Rural Electrification Agency, would provide 24-hour electricity supply to all federal tertiary institutions.

“Phases I to III of the project have already supplied over 100 megawatts of clean energy to 24 federal universities and their teaching hospitals. Ahmadu Bello University is part of Phase IV, which will commence soon,” Tinubu added.

Addressing the graduands, the President encouraged them to embrace entrepreneurship and self-development, commending the university’s Students Enterprise Competition organised by its International Centre of Excellence for Rural Finance and Entrepreneurship.

He also urged students to take advantage of the Students’ Innovation Venture Capital Grant, which provides up to ₦50m in non-equity seed funding for innovative ventures with global potential.

Tinubu further drew attention to the National Implementation Guidelines on Drug and Substance Use in Nigerian Institutions, warning that drug abuse undermined cognitive development, academic performance and national security.

The President praised ABU for emerging overall winner of the 5th National Tertiary Admissions Performance–Merit Awards and receiving a ₦500m mega award from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, reaffirming the Federal Government’s resolve to expand access to tertiary education through revised admission guidelines and capacity-building interventions.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Governing Board of Ahmadu Bello University, Alhaji Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, stressed the need for the university’s Senate and management to inculcate the virtues of honesty, discipline, humanity and respect in students.

Ahmed said ethical moulding was necessary to produce responsible, patriotic graduates and called on the Federal Government to further address issues relating to university autonomy and academic freedom. (The PUNCH)

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