UNIVERSITY EDUCATION

AND NATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT

PROFESSOR ELIJAH AYOLABI

Professor of Applied Geophysics
Vice-Chancellor
Mountain Top University
 PROTOCOL
Principal Officers of the University;
Deans of Colleges
Directors of Institutes,
Heads of Departments;
Members of University Community;
Matriculating Students;
Parents, Guardians and Well-Wishers;
Gentlemen of the Press;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Great Nigerian Students

August 29, 2019 2

 INTRODUCTION
 It is with great pleasure that I stand before
you today.
 I am thankful to the Almighty God for the
gift of life and for making today’s event a
beautiful one.
 I specially appreciate the Management team
of this University, ably led by the Vice-
Chancellor, Prof Olusola Bandele Oyewole
for this singular privilege of standing on
this podium to deliver this Matriculation
Lecture. August 29,
3 2019
 Let me start by congratulating the Matriculants, I
mean the newly admitted students of this great
institution, on their admission.
 It is my prayer that the purpose of your admission
here will be achieved, in the name of Jesus.

4
 WHAT IS MATRICULATION ?

 It is worthy to note that matriculation

ceremonies all over the world are quite
historic, they present Universities the
opportunity to connect to the age long
tradition, where students are conferred the
formal consummation of admittance into the
University.
 It is on this note that I heartily congratulate
all the matriculating students and their
parents on this historic occasion. It is my
sincere prayer that your scholarly journey in
this University shall be crowned with good August 29,
2019
5
success.
 UNIVERSITY EDUCATION AND
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
 I strongly believe that you will learn, nurture and
acquire knowledge and skills that will prepare
you for national development in this challenging
world and time.
 I want to assure you of the presence of a strong
team of professors and lecturers to ensure you
fulfill your dream.
 As you formally commence your academic
journey in this University today, I am delighted
to speak to you on “University Education and
National Development”.
 This is a significant topic that will enlighten you
August 29,
2019
6
on the need to have higher education.
 THE WORD UNIVERSITY
 To start with, let us have a full understanding of
each of the four words that make up our topic
i.e.
 University;
 Education;
 National; and
 Development.
 The word ‘university’ is derived from Latin,
meaning “community of teachers and scholars”.
 It was originally used to describe ‘associations of
students and teachers with collective legal rights
usually guaranteed by charters
7
issued by Princes,
August 29,
2019
 ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY
 The oldest university is generally considered to
be Al-Azhar University in Cairo founded around
969AD disputed with Qarawiyyin University in
Fez, Morrocco and Nalanda University in India.

August 29,
8 2019
 ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY
 The Italian University of Bologna established in 1088 is
the First University in medieval Europe after which came
Oxford University in 1096 and Cambridge University in
1226.
 In Nigeria, the oldest is University of Ibadan established
as a College of University of London in 1948 and this was
followed by University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) in 1960
and Ahmadu Bello University(ABU), Zaria; University of
Ife (UNIFE) now Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-
Ife, and University of Lagos (UNILAG) all established in
1962.

August 29,
9 2019
 EDUCATION

How about ‘education’?

 Education is the total development of the
individual through acceptable methods
and techniques according to his/her
abilities and interests to meet up the
needs of the society and for the individual
to take his/her rightful place and
contribute equally to the enhancement of
the society.

August 29,
10 2019
 THE WORD “NATIONAL”
 ‘National’ is an adjective derived from the word
‘nation’ which refers to a geographical expression
of inhabitants of a place woven together by a
common boundary and constitution.

August 29,
11 2019
 WHAT IS DEVELOPMENT ?
 Development, according to a 1994
document by the erstwhile General
Secretary of United Nations, Boutros
Ghali, categorised development into five
major divisions as follows: peace,
economy, environment, social studies and
democracy.

August 29,
12 2019
 SIGN OF PROGRESS
 The upward movement of these indicators is a
sign of progress and that measures the
development of a place or society.
 The positive behavior or upward movement of
these indicators in a nation therefore translates to
‘national development’.

August 29,
13 2019
 UNIVERSITY EDUCATION AND
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

 We can then say that our topic, ‘University

Education and National Development’, is a
discourse on the impact that knowledge acquired
through the ivory tower or citadel of learning can
have in the upward movement of progress
indicators in a country such as Nigeria.
 i.e. how to achieve sustained elevation of society
towards a better human life.

August 29,
14 2019
 REBUILD & DEVELOP NATION
 Considering the present
economic dilemma in the
country, it is obvious that we
need young people like you to
rebuild and develop our
nation.
 I am also aware that most of the
matriculating students today fall
within the adolescent population
that are in the transitional stage
of physical, psychological and
spiritual development preparing
to enter legal adulthood and August 29,
15 2019
societal living.
 Being naïve and vulnerable to psychic
manipulation, the University will provide you with
direction onto the right path and mold your
character for national development.
 This is in line with the scripture in Proverbs 22:6
“Train up a child in the way he/she should go and
when he/she grow old, he/she will not depart from
it”.
 Indeed, our nation need young people like you to
be intellectually competent through the
possession of scientific and as well August 29,
as
technological know-how 16 and wisdom. 2019
 INTELLECTUAL AND MORAL LIFE

 This means that the cult of truth should

dominate all your activities; the cult of truth
in
 thought,
 word and
 deed;
 the cult of truth which will be the
foundation of all thoughts and words,
presiding over your intellectual and moral
life. August 29,
17 2019
 ESSENCE OF UNIVERSITY
EDUCATION
 University education has long been established to
constitute the progenitor to social change
through the formulation and transfer of
knowledge.
 This implies that university education is
fundamental to the construction of a knowledge
economy and promote national development.
 UNESCO data from 49 countries of the Asia and
Pacific region has shown that the larger the stock
of population with University education, the
higher the prospects of economic growth and
August 29,
national development. 18 2019
 ESSENCE OF UNIVERSITY
EDUCATION
 No wonder the Holy Scripture stated clearly in
Hosea 4:6 that “My People Perish for Lack of
Knowledge”. Hence, where there is lack of
knowledge:
 there will be insecurity;
 there will be corruption;
 there will be poverty;
 there will be hunger;
 there will be disease;
 there will be no development;
 there will be no economic growth;
 indeed, where there is19 lack of knowledge, the
August 29,
2019
 ESSENCE OF UNIVERSITY
EDUCATION
 Without any doubt, university education
guarantees knowledge, self-discovery, self-
esteem and freedom.
 The university is regarded as a citadel of learning
housing egg-heads and intellectuals and
maintaining a community of scholars from whose
fountain the students drink from resulting in
transfer of knowledge.
 In the process of undergoing a course of study, what is
shrouded in mystery is automatically revealed and the
darkness of ignorance disappears.
 This is made apparent in the course of study a August
student
29,
pursues. 20 2019
 KNOWLEDGE
 For instance, certain fundamental concepts in a
course of study are made available to the
students and the students are able to relate to
them.
 This explains why a student will feel comfortable
to talk about concepts and principles in their
courses of study because they have been taught
and they know them. This is knowledge.

August 29,
21 2019
 KNOWLEDGE OF PRINCIPLE
 Beyond the knowledge of principles and concepts
of students’ courses of study, university
education opens up the brains of students and
enlarges their capacity to think and reason.
 A student who has successfully passed through
the university education can conveniently form
opinions and develop ideas on issues not
connected to what he/she has studied simply
because while going through his/her course of
study in the university, he/she has achieved
mental alertness and sharpness of the mindAugust 29,
22 2019
 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
CAREER & COURSES
 It is this factor that makes it possible for someone
who read Physics to end up as a banker and
perform the banking job efficiently.
 This leads us to a very serious issue of the
relationship between one’s career and one’s
course of study.
 The question is often asked whether it is
compulsory for one to end up with what one
studied in school.
 The answer is no, it is not compulsory, as many people
make adjustments and shift their acquired knowledge to
their interest and make choices
23
that are in tune with
August 29, the
2019
socio-economic realities of the society.
 EMPLOYEE & ENTERPRENEUR

In the past, students are made to

graduate before they personally
decide on the choices they have
to make but nowadays,
especially in the private
universities, these choices are
presented to students alongside
their courses of study by giving
them the opportunity to learn a
vocation from various
entrepreneurship courses made August 29,
available to them. 24 2019
ENTERPRENEUSHIP
This is an approach
that empowers the
student and makes
him/her self-reliant
because by the time
he/she graduates, what
to do will not be a
problem even before
there is paid
employment, if he/she
still desires one. August 29,
25 2019
 VOCATIONAL TRAINING
 This issue can be stressed a little further by
asking the question: If one will resort to
vocational practice after university education,
why does one not just stick to vocational training
from the beginning instead of wasting years in
the university?

August 29,
26 2019
 VOCATION TRAINING

 It has to be stated straight away that the

difference between a university vocation
practitioner and a non-university vocation
practitioner cannot be quantified.
 Remember it is said at the beginning that
university education opens up the mind of
a university student and enlarges his/her
capacity to reason.
August 29,
27 2019
 KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
 In addition, his/her self-worth and self-esteem
cannot be compared to that of a non-university
vocation practitioner.
 It is generally believed that education guarantees
freedom. Education provides knowledge and
knowledge is power.

August 29,
28 2019
 KEY TO FREEDOM

 Even the Holy Scripture

supports this when it says
that thou shall know the
truth and the truth shall set
you free.
 It is the knowledge of truth
that sets you free, not the
one you do not know.

August 29,
29 2019
 GUARANTEE SOURCE OF INCOME

 With university education, one can be gainfully

employed either by self through the establishment of
a vocation or by others through a paid employment.
 Either of them guarantees a source of income that
vends for food, clothing and shelter, the three basic
variables that overcome the power of poverty.
It is obvious that you need university education for
national development.

August 29,
30 2019
 Education is the process of stimulating latent
powers in an individual, of drawing out and
developing the innate capacities for
stimulating knowledge, of educing all the
potentialities within the human personality.

August 29,
31 2019
IMPACT ON NATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT

 So far I have talked about how

university education provides
benefits to individuals either as
university students or graduates.
 In what way, then, can university
education impact national
development?
 The first thing we have to know
in this regard is that a nation
develops according to the
aggregate of the development of
August 29,
its citizens.
32 2019
 SEED OF ECONOMY GROWTH

 University education promotes the culture of

productivity by enabling individuals to discover
the creative potentials in them and apply same to
their self and social aspirations thereby bringing
about personal, societal and national
development.
 University education is the seed for economic,
political and social growth.

August 29,
33 2019
 SUPPLIER OF NATION’S
MANPOWER
 Every facet of national life requires competent
and capable staff who can drive development
agenda and these are found among the students
who have successfully passed through the
university system.
 This means that university education supplies the
manpower needed by a nation for its growth and
development.
 University education is also the foundation for
moral regeneration, human advancement and
capacity building. August 29,
34 2019
 CONCLUSION

 In summary, for you not to miss the opportunity

for national development you need to putAugustthe
29,

followings into consideration.

35 2019
 You must be dedicated and hardworking;
 You must be a team player with forgiving spirit;
 You must learn to try, try and try again when
you fail;
 You must be research oriented;
 You must be original;
 You must be focused and determined;
 You must be calm and cheerful;
 You must be polite and respectful; and
 You must be diligent and humble.
August 29,
36 2019
 SINE-QUA-NON FOR
FREEDOM
 Distinguished Audience, Fresh Students, Ladies
and Gentlemen, university education is a sine-
qua-non for freedom against lack, poverty and
disease.
 It is a remedy for low per capital income and poor
condition of living.
 It is an antidote for ignorance, misrule and
manipulation.
 It is the factor that uplifts families, societies and
nations.
 It is a precursor of wisdom and knowledge.
 It is an instrument of self-esteem, self-worth and
August 29,
2019
37
self-confidence.
 The Bible says that no one puts his hand on
the plough and looks back…….
 As you have started this journey that opens
the door to a sea of possibilities, it is my
prayer that you shall end it well.
 You shall excel.
 You shall impact this nation positively and
it shall be well with you in the name of
Jesus.
August 29,
38 2019
 CONGRATULATION

Once again, congratulations.

August 29,
39 2019
APPRECIATION
THANK
YOU
&
GOD
BLESS 40