News
UNIVERSITY OF MAIDUGURI CONVOCATION: VP Shettima Inspires Graduands, Harps On Education As Service To Humanity
UNIVERSITY OF MAIDUGURI CONVOCATION: VP Shettima Inspires Graduands, Harps On Education As Service To Humanity
- Bags Honorary Doctorate Degree
By: Our Reporter
The University of Maiduguri was on Saturday enveloped in a frenzy of academic recollection as Vice President Kashim Shettima shared his reflections on the significance of education and service to humanity.
Speaking during the 24th Combined Convocation Ceremony of the university, Sen. Shettima inspired graduands as well as dignitaries at the event with lessons learnt from the school, attributing his current position to the values instilled in him during his formative years as a student.
The Vice President who was also honoured with an Honorary Doctorate degree by the citadel of great learning, acknowledged the profound impact of his educational journey, noting that he is a product of a civilization that valued education.
In a heartfelt address delivered at the event, the VP said, “I was born into the heart of a civilisation that favoured education. So, I entered a world where a map had been provided for me—the path of scholarship. Wherever I go and whatever I do, I am reminded of this noble heritage. Wherever I go, I realise that the noblest duty a person must undertake is to serve the people.
“But, to serve humanity, one must train the mind, shape character, and find a purpose. This institution nurtured those aspirations, pointing me in a direction that has led me to where I stand today,” the VP harped.
Acknowledging the role of teachers and mentors in shaping his path, Sen. Shettima recalled their patience while imparting a great deal of knowledge to him, just as he said, “This homecoming is to express my gratitude for the lessons learned in the halls, the premises, and in the service of this esteemed institution.
“The choices I’ve made since being certified by this institution to pursue my dream have taken me to heights I could have only imagined. In each room and at every event, I find a reason to utter a prayer for the training acquired here. I am a child of a collection of patient teachers and mentors, so I’m acutely aware that this honour is not mine alone to claim,” he added.
The Vice President expressed his commitment as an ambassador of the University of Maiduguri, noting that it was a privilege to uphold the institution’s values, part of the reason he said he was deeply moved to accept the honorary degree.
He continued: “To you, I will always be a student, and with all the privilege to remind me of my ambassadorial duty to the University of Maiduguri. This is why I am excited that I am not here today for defying a code of conduct, for that would have meant that I failed as a flag-bearer of my alma mater.
“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, receiving an honorary doctorate from the institution that has been instrumental in shaping one’s formative years can only signify that one has followed the path of an indescribable principle. However, this honour is neither for me nor for you alone; it is a grand testament to the equalizing power of the education fostered here. This gathering symbolizes our collective aspirations as an institution.
“Here, on the fine sands and under the lush trees of Unimaid, I was taught that education is the brick with which a purposeful life is built. However, the education in question isn’t what you cram to pass your examinations; it’s what you do with what you have learned. I am where I am today because I learned here that intellectual curiosity is the preservative of every enduring civilization,” Sen. Shettima emphasised.
The VP also recollected the security challenges faced by Maiduguri, stating that even though the city is renowned for its fidelity to education, it had come under attacks and threats.
He however noted that in the face of these challenges, the Borno State capital has remained resilient, even as he described the city as “a prime intellectual powerhouse, prepared for the disruptions of the era”.
Urging the graduands, those before them and the institution itself to become symbols of the privileges that a well-tailored education offers, the VP emphasised the importance of purpose in education, stating that the true value lies in what one does with acquired knowledge.
“Unless we strive to become the reference points of why this edifice exists and why our teachers labour to prepare us for tomorrow, we will never defeat the anarchists obsessed with dragging us back into the darkness that our ancestors devoted their lives to end. We must be the light of humanity, the hope of the downtrodden, and the rhetorical motivation of the skeptics,” he said.
Acknowledging the power of education, Sen. Shettima implored the graduands to dwell on the need to repay the debt owed the institution by becoming ambassadors of its values.
He emphasized the importance of excelling beyond professional achievements, stressing that without purpose education would be a mere self-stimulation.
Accepting the honorary doctorate degree, Vice President Shettima said he considers it as an invitation to greater responsibility, just as he pledged to stay on the track that favours humanity, drawing inspiration from the invaluable lessons learned at the University of Maiduguri.
“Here, ladies and gentlemen, I humbly accept this honorary doctorate. This, for me, is not a culmination but an invitation to greater responsibility. This, for me, is a reminder of the obligation I carry, alongside each one of us, to dedicate ourselves to the cause of the nation and to the service of humanity,” the VP stated.
Palpably enthralled by the Vice President’s humility to honour the invitation, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Aliyu Shugaba, had earlier thanked Sen. Shettima for gracing the occasion, acknowledging that the VP has given much to the school.
Urging the graduands to be good and worthy ambassadors of the institution, Prof Shugaba counselled them to imbibe the spirit of entrepreneurship to enhance their livelihoods before picking up white-collar jobs.
“Every success in life brings with it challenges. You are graduating today, our nation is faced with myriads of problems. I believe the university has adequately prepared you to contribute to proffering solutions to these problems.
“The era when graduates look up to the government for answers to all problems is fast fading. I encourage you to specifically utilise your entrepreneurial training in the university to decide your employability status. Start an enterprise, no matter how small your capital or idea is,” he advised.
Noting the current challenges bedeviling the university, the Vice Chancellor appealed for more support for tertiary institutions across the country.
On his part, Borno State Governor, Prof Babagana Zulum, noted that the state government was committed to supporting the institution in ensuring that its students contribute to the growth of the society.
Expressing appreciation to the school for conferring what he described as a well-deserved honour on the Vice President, the Governor observed that the honorary doctorate degree is a reflection of Sen. Shettima’s dedication to the development of the nation.
Prof Zulum Commended the university for what he termed its unwavering commitment to shaping and equipping the students as part of their contribution to national development.
He applauded philanthropists such as business mogul, Alhaji Muhammad Indimi and Chairman of BUA Group, Abdulsamad Rabiu, for their unflinching support to the institution.
Also speaking at the convocation ceremony, a former Registrar of the institution, Alhaji Dahiru Bobbo, thanked the school’s Senate and management for finding them worthy of such an honour, saying it will deeply spur them in their endeavours, just as they will continue to hold the University of Maiduguri in high esteem.
Other dignitaries present at the convocation ceremony included the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Garbai El-Kanemi; Governors Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba State and Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State; Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, and Deputy Governor of Borno State, Umar Usman Kadafur.
Others are Senator Ali Ndume; APC Deputy National Chairman, Alh. Bukar Dalori; Director General of FRCN, Mohammed Bulama; Executive Director, Projects, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Engr. Ibrahim Abba Umar; Senator Kaka Shehu Lawan; former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai (rtd), ministers, members of the House of Representatives, including Engr. Ahmed Satome and members of the Borno State Executive Council, among others.
UNIVERSITY OF MAIDUGURI CONVOCATION: VP Shettima Inspires Graduands, Harps On Education As Service To Humanity
All Hands Must Be On Deck To Boost Nigeria’s Business Environment, Says VP Shettima
- Urges states, MDAs, others to work towards actualizing President Tinubu’s reforms at PEBEC Gala and Awards Night
By: Our Reporter
The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has implored state governments, ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of the federal government, the organised private sector, and other stakeholders to do more in advancing the business environment in Nigeria.
He acknowledged the successes recorded this year, describing them “as the triumph of collaboration over silos,” even as he said when the 36 states of the federation, MDAs, development partners and other critical sectors commit to working together across the board, it becomes a big win for Nigeria.
Senator Shettima gave the charge on Tuesday in Abuja during the PEBEC Gala and Awards Night organized by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) to celebrate exceptional public service delivery, reform excellence, and collaborative efforts toward improving Nigeria’s business environment.
He said, “The end of this night does not signal the end of your pursuit of excellence because excellence is a culture, not an event. It lives only where it is nurtured. And so, in the new year, let us do even more to advance the reform agenda for Nigeria’s business environment.
“Let us build a nation where efficiency is normal, where transparency is routine, and where excellence is the governing creed of public service.”
The Vice President underscored the importance of working as a team, noting that while every organisation reflects the kind of people working within, the people cannot “achieve excellence in a vacuum.”
According to VP Shettima, excellence is cultivated – “the result of choices, of discipline, of a refusal to settle for the bare minimum,” adding that it is not something that is inherited.
He observed that it is for this reason that the Gala and Awards Night was organised “to honour the belief that public service can and must be synonymous with excellence.”
Reminding stakeholders that the ball is in their court to make a difference, the VP said, “His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has laid the critical foundation for the reforms required to reset our economy, and the success of this depends on the awardees we celebrate tonight.
“Your dedication and excellence embody the spirit of this administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda. You represent the very best of our public sector, and your work is the foundation upon which our nation’s prosperity is built.”
Senator Shettima described the Gala and Awards Night as “a celebration of public servants across Nigeria who have refused to accept mediocrity as our national ceiling,” by working hard to actualize the ongoing reforms undertaken by the Tinubu administration.
“The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, PEBEC, has spent the last couple of years championing reforms that speak to the soul of our economic aspirations—reforms that make it easier to do business, that restore investor confidence, that ensure our institutions work at the speed of national ambition.
“And tonight, we salute the men and women driving this mission forward, those who have placed the national interest above their comfort zones,” he said.
Acknowledging that there had been interagency collaboration on reforms that rapidly improve the nation’s business environment, the Vice President cited the establishment of the Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee (PCEC), which he said is “already bearing significant fruit through joint inspection procedures at” the ports.
Earlier, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, said under the leadership of Vice President Shettima, PEBEC has continued to deliver reforms that is incrementally impacting businesses in different sectors across the country.
He, however, reminded stakeholders that the task of transforming Nigeria’s business environment is far from over, as every improvement celebrated at the 2025 awards will be the foundation upon which more lasting reform initiatives will be built.
On her part, the Director-General of PEBEC, Princess Zahrah Audu, outlined some of the achievements recorded by the agency in the past year through deliberate and result-oriented collaboration to transform operations across MDAs, noting that reform is embedded and remains a critical component of PEBEC’s service delivery.
She added that the scope of PEBEC’s achievements under the current dispensation reflects the depth of partnership established and nurtured by management with critical stakeholders across the country over the past months.
The highpoint of the occasion was the unveiling of the 2025 Business Facilitation Act (BFA) Compliance Report and the Subnational Ease of Doing Business Report, as well as the presentation of various categories of awards, including access to justice; legislative trailblazer; leadership of action and business advocacy and partnership, among others.
Also present at the event were the Deputy Governor of Benue State, Dr Sam Ode; Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Mr Ifeanyi Ossai; Chairman of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa; Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, Mr Pius Akutah; Executive Vice Chairman of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida; Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, other heads of agencies and parastatals; members of the diplomatic corps, and captains of industry, among others.
All Hands Must Be On Deck To Boost Nigeria’s Business Environment, Says VP Shettima
PRESIDENT TINUBU NOMINATES GENERAL CHRISTOPHER MUSA AS THE NEW MINISTER OF DEFENCE
By: Our Reporter
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated General Christopher Gwabin Musa as the new Minister of Defence.
In a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu conveyed General Musa’s nomination as the successor to Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned on Monday.
General Musa, 58, on December 25, is a distinguished soldier who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025. He won the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa received his primary and secondary education there before attending the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria. He graduated in 1986 and enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year, earning a Bachelor of Science degree upon graduation in 1991.
General Musa was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991 and has since had a distinguished career. His appointments include General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations at HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative/Member, Training Team, HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations, Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps; Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole; and Commander, Sector 3 Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Region.
In 2021, General Musa was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai. He later became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before being appointed Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.
In the letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed confidence in General Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
End
Finally, DSS Arraigns Sowore on alleged Cybercrime Offences
By: Our Reporter
Judge bars him from inciting public, undermining national security
The Department of State Services (DSS) on Tuesday arraigned a politician and online publisher, Omoyele Sowore, before a Federal High Court in Abuja, for alleged cybercrimes, with the court barring him from further making statements that are detrimental to the peace and security of the country.
Justice Mohammed Umar, in a ruling, threatened to revoke the bail granted Sowore’ should he ever make such statements. The arraignment came after two previous attempts, with the politician’s lawyer introducing what the DSS lawyer, Akinolu Kehinde SAN, called legal obstacles.
On Tuesday, however, Justice Umar held that since there was evidence that Sowore was a presidential candidate in the country before and having also earlier been granted bail by the court, with his international passport still being held by the court, he was entitled to be granted bail on self-recognition.
The ruling was on a bail application argued by his lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, shortly after Sowore was arraigned on a five-count charge, in which he is accused of defaming President Bola Tinubu by referring to him as a criminal in his posts on X and Facebook.
When the charge, being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS), was read to him, Sowore pleaded not guilty.
In the charge, Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 and 2023 elections, is accused of contravening the provisions of the the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024 and the Criminal Code Act by calling President Bola Tinubu a criminal
The two other defendants listed in the charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025 are X Incorp (formerly Twitter) and Meta (Facebook) Incorp.
Details shortly.
Finally, DSS Arraigns Sowore on alleged Cybercrime Offences
All Hands Must Be On Deck To Boost Nigeria’s Business Environment, Says VP Shettima
PRESIDENT TINUBU NOMINATES GENERAL CHRISTOPHER MUSA AS THE NEW MINISTER OF DEFENCE
Finally, DSS Arraigns Sowore on alleged Cybercrime Offences
Roger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
THE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
POLICE CHARGE ROOMS, A MINTING PRESS
-
News2 years agoRoger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
-
Opinions4 years ago
THE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
-
Opinions4 years ago
POLICE CHARGE ROOMS, A MINTING PRESS
-
News2 years agoEYN: Rev. Billi, Distortion of History, and The Living Tamarind Tree
-
News8 months agoFAILED COUP IN BURKINA FASO: HOW TRAORÉ NARROWLY ESCAPED ASSASSINATION PLOT AMID FOREIGN INTERFERENCE CLAIMS
-
ACADEMICS2 years agoA History of Biu” (2015) and The Lingering Bura-Pabir Question (1)
-
Columns2 years agoArmy University Biu: There is certain interest, but certainly not from Borno.
-
Opinions2 years agoTinubu,Shettima: The epidemic of economic, insecurity in Nigeria
