AUN Founder's Day: Atiku Tasks Buhari To Reform Education To Subdue Insurgency
The American University of Nigeria Yola,(AUN) today (Saturday) marked her 10th annual founder's day were the Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar task Buhari to reform the education sector that will ensures no single youth in the country is left uneducated through the provision of access to free universal basic education, as it is the most possible way to reduce all kinds of insurgency.
Atiku while delivering his speech said the country had done a poor job in handling its natural resource endowment and therefore should not squander its human resource as he called for education reform which will make government at all levels to provide free and universal basic education.
On his keynote address entitled " Beyond Terrorism: The need for Education reform", the Turaki Adamawa, urged the president Buhari and all stakeholders in All Progressive Party, APC which has taken control of the National government, to see the change in government, as an opportunity given to it to rigid the country's leadership.
Stressing that past leadership had done a poor job in handling available resource, he added the new administration must recognise education holds the key otherwise we may squander our human resource much as we have squandered our natural resource endowment.
Lauding the government's effort at containing the activities of the insurgents which he noted has been targeted at western education by the terrorist, now no longer growing in strength as it were in the recent past, stressed the need for government to focus its attention on providing free universal basic education.
He noted that through education reforms supporting access to qualitative education to all its youths, we can be able to disabuse the minds of our youths who unleash terror, adding that nothing can justify the killing of any individual.
" We can ask them to drop their guns and take up other means of productive activities, because this mindless killings of others through insurgency cannot be justified," he said.
Adding that we must pester government to provide free and basic universal education that we will ensure that not one youth is uneducated, stressing that in the same vein government must ensure universities do not become a bastion of the privilege but a place for hope.
He said as the nation takes the arduous road to reconciliation and reconstruction after the insurgency, these measures must be made to span borders.
Ms Margee Ensign, AUN president in her address lauded the commitment of the founder, saying the institution which reflects the ideals of the founder to development will continue to offer world class education to Nigeria and African youths.
Some staff received awards for their contributions towards the growth of the institution which he Atiku, observed " was difficult to know this is its tenth year".