Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State has warned parents against placing undue pressure on fresh graduates.
He further urged them to allow their children time to navigate life after school.
The governor gave the advice at the 13th convocation ceremony of Kwara State University, Malete, on Saturday.
Represented by the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Hajia Saa’datu Modibbo Kawu, the governor asked parents not to put undue pressure on their children to meet immediate expectations after graduation.
“Life after school is a journey, and our graduates need guidance, patience and support to discover their paths,” AbdulRazaq said.
According to him, “Under our leadership, the state has witnessed the commissioning of the KWASU Osi Campus and the completion of the Ilesha Baruba Campus, which continue to expand the university’s reach and relevance across the state”.
He said the government’s educational reforms “have positioned Kwara as a rising hub for quality education in Nigeria”.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of KWASU, Shaykh Luqman Alade Jimoh, appealed to the governor to urgently support the provision of more and improved student accommodation to address rising enrolment and security challenges.
He said the growing student population across the Malete campus and the satellite campuses in Osi and Ilesha Baruba has not been matched with adequate on-campus housing, exposing students to off campus security risks.
“Sir, the student population of Kwara State University across the three campuses is growing, and with it is the demand for on campus accommodation,” he said.
The vice chancellor recalled recent security incidents in Malete community, including burglaries and assaults, noting that swift interventions by the university management, security agencies and the Moro Local Government Council helped restore calm.
“You will recall that some months back, there were reports of incessant robberies in Malete community. With the swift response of management and security agencies, measures were put in place and security reinstated,” he stated.
He listed the measures to include restriction of movement after 11pm, increased deployment of vigilantes and security personnel, and restriction of generator use after midnight.
According to him, “The university community joint security committee is still in place and working to ensure that we do not have a repeat of the burglaries.”
Jimoh also called for Public Private Partnership support, urging donors and investors to help expand hostel capacity across all campuses.
“We urgently seek donors and partners who can increase the capacity of the university to accommodate students on all our campuses,” he said.
He further appealed for more security posts in and around Malete and increased on campus hostels as part of long term solutions, calling on both government and the private sector to partner with the institution.
Earlier, the Chancellor of the university, Dr Johnson Adewumi, said KWASU has established itself as a brand of excellence in academics, research, community development and entrepreneurship.
The Pro Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Prof Abdulganiyu Ambali, urged the graduands to be good ambassadors of the institution wherever they find themselves.
Daily Trust reports that a total of 8,119 students graduated at the ceremony, including 82 first class graduates, 1,986 second class upper, 4,195 second class lower, 1,355 third class, 426 master’s degree holders and 75 doctorate degree recipients.
