Vice-Chancellor of the first Islamic faith-based university in the country, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Professor Taofeek Ibraheem, has advocated dedication of three per cent of Nigeria’s oil and gas income to the primary education sector.

Speaking with journalists on ninth convocation ceremony of the university in Ilorin on Tuesday, Professor Ibraheem said the move would ensure the proper and adequate foundation for our children to be well prepared for the much-needed developmental challenges in the future.

The Vice-Chancellor, who also advised education stakeholders to encourage the early introduction of science education among primary school children, said the interest in science would have grown and sustained by the time they attain university age.

“We expect that 70 per cent admissions into our universities should be into Science, Technology and Engineering courses, yet, all that children are exposed to throughout their basic education for 6-9 years is ‘talks and stories’, without any exposure to basic science laboratories, tools and equipment,” he said.

As part of his address on state of the nation during the event, the Vice-Chancellor called for purposeful dedication of five per cent of Nigeria’s oil and gas income to agricultural development annually, saying that the move would “make us overcome youth unemployment in the shortest time and enable us to attain the trajectory of emerging as one of the topmost 10 economies in the world by 2030,” he said.

He also advocated the establishment of agriculture farm settlements with standard schools, health care
and recreation facilities to attract Nigerian youth to agribusiness and agripreneurship.

Professor Ibraheem appealed to the federal government to include private universities among beneficiaries of TETFUND grants and projects.

A total number of 896 students, who had completed their various programmes of study, out of which 824 bagged First degrees, 59 with postgraduate degrees and 13 with diploma certificates, are to graduate from the institution on Saturday.