Former President Dr. Goodluck Ebere Jonathan, has called on universities nationwide not to lose sight of their basic tasks of character and intellectual foundations of the youth. He was speaking yesterday as the Guest Lecturer at the 6th and 7th Convocation ceremony of the Godfery Okoye University Ugwuomu campus, Enugu.
Fmr. President Jonathan, who described education as a great agent of transformation and sustainable development, thanked the Church for her contributions to education.
He encouraged all those responsible for education to see it as a sacred duty while reminding the students that character formation is as important as educational attainment.
Also speaking at the event, the Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi who eulogized the former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as the patriarch of democracy in Nigeria, thanked him for his inspiring presence.
The Governor who thanked the institution for finding him worthy for the award of Honorary Doctorate Degree on Political Science assured the Catholic Diocese of Enugu and other missionary and voluntary agencies of Government’s support in their efforts to contribute to ennobling societal activities as in education.
Speaking to the press after the event, the Vice Presidential candidate of the PDP, Mr. Peter Obi said he was always delighted to attend education-related events.
He thanked the University for what they are doing in education and former President Goodluck Jonathan for the support he has continued to give to education, which he described as the “greatest capital for future competition.”
He also thanked Gov. Ugwuanyi for his purposeful and responsive leadership as demonstrated by the ongoing road construction to the permanent site of the university.
Further, Obi reminded the students that whilst pursuing intellectual goals, that they must also be conscious of their morals, for, according to him, their certificates attest academic as well as moral worthiness.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Rev. Fr. Prof Christian Anieke who reeled out the achievements of the University in 10 years, assured the commitment of the university to its goal of holistic formation.
The convocation witnessed the award of honorary doctorate degrees on the Governor of Enugu State, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto; and the former Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission, Prof Julius Okojie.
The Former President Goodluck Jonathan expression on Nigerian universities was a cleared evidence which adduced the lyrics of late Rasta Prophet: Bob Marley which defined and diagnosed the position of universities as (Babylon system) ” Graduating thieves and murderers “. Does Nigerians universities systems truelly add value to what knowledge and its purposes of proffering solutions to societal problems? Does the teeming annual graduate of Nigerian universities are good ambassador of their university?. The current ugly situations that revealed many incidence of sex for marks, cultisms and the many graduates illiterates in the country confirmed the fact that Nigerian Universities are breeding grounds of Boko Haram because its characteristics as well as its output failed to defined Boko Halal however other universities in the world truely defined Boko Halal in making education to proffered solutions to 21st century socioeconomic and societal problems.