VC laments low enrolment of northerners in tertiary institutions

Vice chancellor, Kano University of Science and Technology, Wudil, Prof. Shehu Alhaji Musa has tasked Northern youths to channel their energy towards building a prosperous future rather than pursuing unrealistic goals.Prof. Shehu opined that such disposition suggested that they are incapable of taking up leadership responsibilities.

The vice chancellor, who spoke while receiving award of merit from the Northern Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) also regretted the low academic enrolment of Northerners across higher institutions in the country.

While reminding that no nation can grow beyond its level of education, the first professor of Agricultural Economics from Kano state decried the low number of Northerners who had contributed immensely to the development of the sector.

Prof. Shehu who expressed concern over the high level of illiteracy in the region wondered how millions of youths roaming the street uneducated will take up leadership position in the nearest future.

Although, the outgoing VC lamented the failure of the super rich from the North to invest significantly in the sector, he enjoined the government to do more in the provision of education for the youths in the region.

He lamented that of the about 70 private universities in Nigeria, the region can only boast of less than five, a development he described as worrisome.

“In a situation where a secondary school graduate can not construct simple sentence in the Northern part of the country is disheartening. When you find millions of youth roaming the streets doing nothing, you will wonder if these are the ones that will take the course of building the nation and this why I kept saying we still have along way to go.

Prof. Shehu who cited the budgetary allocation of Oxford University as sufficient enough to cater for total allocation of about five countries in West Africa. He also canvassed improved budgetary allocation to the sector