Dikko Radda, the Governor of Katsina State, has given automatic employment to all Katsina State indigenes who have graduated with a first-class degree from Umaru Musa Yar’adua University Katsina (UMYU).
The Governor, who made the announcement on Saturday during the University’s combined 9th-13th convocation ceremony held in the Convocation Arena, emphasised his administration’s commitment to educational development.
Radda, who is a visitor to the university, announced the approval of N555 million in bursary allowances for 37,799 Katsina State students studying at various institutions of higher learning across the country.
He explained that N174,293,160 will be allocated to 11,605 new students in the 2021/2022 academic session, while N381,914,588 will be allocated to 26,194 continuing students in the 2022/2023 academic session.
Radda maintained that he had hitherto settled the outstanding scholarship allowances amounting to N648,000,000 for the 2020/2021 (fresh students) and 2021/2022 (continuing students) academic sessions.
The governor while highlighting the ongoing efforts to improve the standard of education across the state, emphasised that education is a strategic policy for his administration.
These efforts, he said, include upgrading infrastructure and facilities in existing schools, building new schools, recruiting additional qualified teachers, and boosting student enrollment.
The governor announced several initiatives that predominantly focus on enhancing the skills and productivity of the state’s workforce through training and retraining programs.
Governor Radda called on the university management to explore alternative revenue generation models, aligning with successful diversification programs undertaken by other universities.
He reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to fulfilling its financial obligations, ensuring prompt release of funds to cover the institution’s running costs, staff training, and development initiatives.
The 9th-13th convocation ceremony saw the graduation of a total of 10,868 students across various disciplines, receiving bachelor’s degrees, postgraduate diplomas, master’s degrees, and Ph.D.
The ceremony also included the conferment of honorary doctorate degrees on two former governors of Katsina State: Aminu Masari and Sa’idu Barda, alongside the late Garba Ammani and Hassu Iro Inko.
Governor Radda also announced the appointment of the Wazirin Katsina, Senator Ibrahim Ida, as the pioneer chancellor of the university.
On his part, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Salihu Muhammad, expressed his appreciation for the Governor’s dedication to education.
He thanked distinguished guests for their participation, congratulated the graduating class on their achievements, and emphasized the significance of the ceremony in celebrating academic excellence and fostering a brighter future through education.
On Friday, a pre convocation lecture was held at the Umaru Musa Yar’adua University Auditorium, Katsina where, the guest lecturer, Professor Tijjani Muhammad Bande presented a paper titled: THE IMPERATIVE OF PROVISION OF EDUCATION WHILE ADDRESSING VIOLENT CONFLICT IN NIGERIA: SOME REFLECTIONS.