The Promise We Make to Tomorrow Kashim  Shettima

Kashim  Shettima

FOR the Record

No heritage is greater than the gift of education, for we are the children of a civilisation built by words, refined by books, and elevated by ideas. We are products of generations of scholars and thinkers who lit the path before us, men and women whose quiet labour laid the foundation for every aspiration to progress and development in our society. Their contributions would not have endured without institutions that inspired their thoughts, debated their convictions, and preserved their wisdom in libraries for generations yet unborn. This is what the University of Maiduguri has meant to us, a cradle of intellect, a place of inquiry, and a custodian of the ideals that shape our world. And so, it is with profound honour that I join you today to celebrate the history of its excellence and the legacy it continues to build across time.

Every institution is defined not only by the strength of its research outputs but by the quality of the students it moulds. On this front, we have been fortunate to count the University of Maiduguri as a place where minds are empowered to imagine better futures. This is the true meaning of education, the belief that we are what becomes of our children, for they carry the light that guides us into tomorrow. No society that neglects education survives the attrition of time, for knowledge remains the only inheritance that grows in value through use. And so, as we gather to celebrate half a century of this distinguished institution, we are affirming the immortality of an idea, the idea that human beings, regardless of birth or class, can rise to their fullest potential through the power of learning. We gather to honour an institution that took root in the Sahelian sands and blossomed into a home for all, nurturing generations who now serve as contributors to the engines of our nation’s development and as torchbearers beyond our borders.

As an alumnus of this great institution, I feel the weight of those humble beginnings and the soaring ambitions that followed. I arrived here as a young man convinced that education is the brick with which a purposeful life is built, and I learned that truth within these walls, beneath the fine Sahelian skies of Maiduguri. But this education was never a pastime of cramming for exams; it was a calling. It was an invitation to use knowledge as the most potent tool in the service of humanity. Today, I return home with a heart full of gratitude for every lecture hall that shaped our thinking, for every laboratory that refined our curiosity, for every library that awakened our intellectual appetites, and for every challenge that sharpened our character.

I was trained here to believe that the greatest heritage one can inherit is knowledge and the greatest duty one can undertake is to pass it on. And no matter the office I occupy, I remain first and forever a student of this institution. For you, I will always be the boy who walked into these classrooms with nothing but a dream, leaving with a mission to serve. It is one of the quiet prides of my life that I stand before you not in violation of any code of conduct, not as one summoned to defend a failure in character, but as one who has tried, earnestly and consistently, to deploy his education in the service of the society that nurtured him.

That this institution still stands despite the storms of violence we have witnessed is owed to our collective belief in what truly matters, the conviction that nothing must come between us and our education. Perhaps it is this stubborn refusal to surrender the classroom to the merchants of fear, this insistence on preaching and promoting learning in a land where those who oppose it have waged a war against enlightenment, that defines the magnitude of your sacrifice. You have kept faith with the sanctity of knowledge in a place where doing so demanded uncommon courage. And in choosing to keep these gates open, you have proclaimed loudly that education is sacred, that it is non negotiable, and that its message must continue to echo across our communities no matter the darkness that seeks to silence it.

As individuals, we also owe it to ourselves to become symbols of the possibilities that well tailored education offers. Unless we strive to become the reference points for why this institution exists and why our teachers labour to prepare us for the uncertainty of tomorrow, we risk leaving the stage to the anarchists. We will not let them drag us back into the darkness that our ancestors devoted their lives to end, because we know the road that leads to damnation and the one that leads to redemption. We choose education because it is the antidote to the fear that fuels extremism. We choose it because it is the light that exposes the fake glamour of violence. Education is the shield that protects communities from forces determined to roll back centuries of progress. That is why we must be the light of humanity, the hope of the downtrodden, and the rhetorical motivation of the sceptics who doubt whether this nation can rise to its promise.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, fifty years in the life of an institution is enough time to test the quality of its products. It is enough time to see whether knowledge handed down in classrooms has been translated into innovation, into responsible leadership, and into lives devoted to service. Whether as economists or biologists, as computer programmers or medical doctors, as lawyers or engineers, our obligation extends beyond excelling in our careers. Without purpose, education becomes a grand exercise in self stimulation, a trophy polished only for personal admiration. Yet this university has never lacked purpose. The University of Maiduguri has paid its dues. It has produced scholars and specialists who have injected knowledge, competence, and moral character into the labour market and into communities far and near. This Jubilee is therefore a celebration of impact.

And although fifty years is young compared to ancient institutions such as al Qarawiyyin, the University of Bologna, and even the University of Oxford whose origins stretch into the mists of the ninth and eleventh centuries, we are reminded that purpose matters far more than age. Since 1975, when this university was conceived under the Third National Development Plan and began its academic programmes the following year, it has stood shoulder to shoulder with institutions twice its age and has shone with distinction. The journey of every alumnus gathered here today is proof that relevance is not measured in centuries but in the depth of vision that guided its founding fathers and the quality of minds that have sustained this legacy across time.

It is on the strength of this legacy and on the confidence it inspires that we turn our thoughts to the theme of this celebration, Education, Leadership, and National Development. It is an invitation for us to reflect on the connection between what we learn and the nation we aspire to build. It calls us to rethink the boundary between the knowledge we acquire and the measure of progress we hope to achieve. In societies like ours, true development depends on our ability to understand the relationship between what we teach, how we lead, and the collective vision we pursue as a people.

Today, there is a shared national understanding that education is the most reliable vehicle to development. It is the immune system of the nation. It fuels economic mobility, lifts families out of poverty, strengthens social cohesion, deepens democratic culture, and fortifies national security. It sustains every modern endeavour, from the construction of strong institutions to the building of a strong economy. An educated citizenry is more prepared to participate in civic life, to champion democratic values, to hold leaders accountable, to demand competence and fairness, and to stand as pillars of national stability.

This is why we have made it clear that we do not come to pay lip service to education. We recognise that the soul of national development lies in what our citizens know, what they can imagine, and what they can create. Because we understand the transformative power of learning, our budgetary commitments have been deliberately aligned with the broader goals of national progress. In the 2025 Budget, education received a total of 3.5 trillion naira, amounting to 7.3 percent of the national budget, an increase from the previous year. For the first time in many years, our universities are being supported to develop mechanised farming programmes. Grants have been introduced to strengthen medical education, and entrepreneurial initiatives have been expanded to equip students for the realities of a modern economy.

There is no doubt that a vision for a competitive and globally relevant education sector is beginning to take shape. The world is changing at a pace that leaves no room for complacency. Nations no longer rise or fall on natural resources but on the quality of their human capital. Nigeria cannot aspire to compete on the global stage while its universities remain underfunded, its teachers underpaid, and its classrooms ill equipped. We cannot hope to thrive in a knowledge driven world while preparing our young people with the tools of a bygone age. The 2025 allocation is therefore a declaration of intent and a clear acknowledgement that the future belongs to those who invest in their people.

Indeed, we are not blind to the challenges that have persisted. For decades, underfunding has weakened the foundations of our education system. International benchmarks recommend that between fifteen and twenty percent of national budgets be devoted to education, yet we have often fallen short. We have fallen short because we are compelled to balance competing national priorities such as security, healthcare, and infrastructure. The consequences confront us daily in the form of inadequate infrastructure, outdated learning materials, poorly motivated teachers, opaque management of funds, frequent strikes, and academic calendars that struggle to hold their rhythm. And for us in the Northeast, the most painful challenge has been the violence inflicted by insurgency. Our classrooms became frontline casualties in a senseless war against civilisation.

Between 2009 and 2021 in Borno State alone, more than five hundred schools were attacked. Between two thousand two hundred and forty six and five thousand classrooms were destroyed. Two thousand two hundred and ninety five teachers were killed, and nineteen thousand others were displaced. Children lost years of learning. Libraries were burned. Laboratories were shattered. Aspirations were silenced. These attacks were ideological in nature. They were designed to extinguish the light of knowledge that generations before us had struggled to keep alive. The attackers understood that an educated population cannot be manipulated, cannot be enslaved, and cannot be compelled to bow to tyranny. They understood that education is liberation, and that is precisely why they targeted it. When terrorists attacked schools, they were attempting to kill the future.

Yet the story of Borno is not the story of defeat. It is the story of a people who refused to let darkness define them. By March 2025, public schools in Borno State had registered 877,777 learners. Education received 70 billion Naira out of a 585 billion Naira state budget, while basic education received 12 billion Naira. More than 10 billion Naira in counterpart funding unlocked an additional 17 billion Naira for the sector. The state paid 530 million Naira in West African Senior School Certificate Examination fees for over 26,000 public school students, ensuring that no child missed examinations for financial reasons. The daily investment in school feeding stands at approximately 122 million Naira. These are evidence that even in adversity, leadership can rebuild, restructure, and reimagine society. Yet challenges persist, particularly in the availability of qualified teachers, in infrastructure deficits, and in enrolment gaps. These challenges mirror patterns across many northern states and remind us that regional disparities in education require systemic, sustained, and equitable interventions.

We also understand that our tertiary institutions continue to grapple with inadequate funding, poor infrastructure, staff shortages, high student to teacher ratios, limited research opportunities, outdated curricula, and the painful haemorrhaging of talent through brain drain. We know that many of our finest academics have relocated in search of better opportunities, leaving behind overburdened departments and students deprived of the mentorship they deserve. The consequences have been unmistakable.

We recognise these constraints, and it is in response to them that we are pursuing reforms to modernise the sector. The National Education Repository and Database has strengthened coordination across institutions. The Nigerian Education Loan Fund, which provides interest free loans for tuition and upkeep, has already disbursed 110 billion naira to over three hundred and twenty eight thousand students. Digital transformation initiatives are expanding e learning and access to modern teaching tools. The Fourth Industrial Revolution programme is equipping students with competencies in artificial intelligence, robotics, and data analytics. Skills based learning reforms are shifting education away from rote memorisation toward critical thinking, emotional intelligence, problem solving, creativity, and enterprise. Curriculum reviews are embedding digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and citizenship education into the heart of learning.

Leadership is a responsibility to imagine, to inspire, and to build. More than ever, we are reminded that at the centre of every nation’s progress is the quality of investment it makes in its people. Education remains the womb of national transformation. Around the world, history affirms this truth. India under Jawaharlal Nehru built its scientific and technological identity on the foundation of education. Malaysia under Mahathir Mohammed rose to global relevance through deliberate investment in human capital. Botswana under Seretse Khama moved from poverty into stability through visionary governance. South Africa under Nelson Mandela reinvented itself by placing dignity, justice, and institutional strength at the heart of its national renewal. What these leaders understood is what we have equally embraced, that education shapes leadership and leadership in turn strengthens education. Our own history bears testimony to this. The Third National Development Plan from 1975 to 1980, which midwifed this very institution, was a distinguished example of forward thinking leadership. It gave birth not only to the University of Maiduguri but also to the Universities of Calabar, Ilorin, Jos, Port Harcourt, and Bayero University. It demonstrated that a nation can only rise to the height of the educational ambitions it sets for itself, and it is a vision that continues to guide our steps today.

For Nigeria to reach its full potential, we must build a genuine synergy across all stakeholders. Government cannot do it alone. The private sector, universities, alumni communities, civil society, international partners, and host communities must work together to create centres of excellence. The world has become a single interconnected labour market. Talent moves to where opportunities exist, and opportunities gravitate to where talent is nurtured. Our responsibility is to ensure that Nigeria is not merely a participant in this global contest but a competitive and confident player. This requires increased investment in education, the modernisation of infrastructure, the strengthening of research capacity, the continuous training of teachers, the adoption of new technologies, and a determined fight against corruption in educational administration. It requires systems that outlive individual tenures. Above all, it requires leaders with integrity and imagination, leaders who understand that nation building is an act of intergenerational responsibility.

Education is the foundation of human capital development. It is the engine that drives economic growth. It is the pathway to social mobility. It is the shield against inequality. It is the soil in which innovation grows. It is the thread that weaves national unity. It is the antidote to poverty. It is the armour of democracy. It is the womb in which the future is conceived. Yet for education to fulfil its mission, we must address persistent problems such as limited access in rural and conflict affected areas, poor teacher training, inadequate facilities, outdated curricula, and low investment in technology and research. We must accept the truth that the future belongs to nations that build schools, not prisons, that train teachers, not soldiers, that encourage inquiry, not conformity, and that see every child as a national asset, not a demographic burden.

His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu understands this charge. The Renewed Hope Agenda recognises that national development is impossible without highly skilled citizens and leaders of integrity. We are prioritising education funding, expanding infrastructure, improving teacher welfare, investing in digital skills, strengthening research capacity, and promoting institutional autonomy. We are reinforcing the synergy between education, leadership, and national development not as abstract ideals but as pillars upon which a new Nigeria must stand.

As we celebrate this Golden Jubilee, we are reminded of the immortal truth that the wealth of a nation lies not in gold or oil but in the minds of its people. Fifty years from now, may our children look back and say that we honoured the legacy of those who built this university in the heart of the desert. May they say that we did not waste the sacrifices of teachers who braved danger to keep education alive. May they say that we insisted on building a Nigeria where learning is stronger than violence, where hope is stronger than fear, and where education remains the greatest equaliser known to humanity.

Today, I invite all of us, students and teachers, policymakers and alumni, friends and custodians of this university, to renew our commitment to be ambassadors of the values this institution has instilled in us. Let us dedicate ourselves to building a nation where every child, regardless of class or tribe, gender or geography, faith or circumstance, has access to the transformative power of education. And may this great University of Maiduguri continue to stand as a lighthouse in the Sahel, an institution whose story is defined not by the storms it has endured but by the light it continues to shine.

Once again, I congratulate the entire University of Maiduguri community on this Golden Jubilee, and I thank you all for your kind attention.

May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

• Being the speech of Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima, on the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the University of Maiduguri, held at the Muhammadu Indimi International Conference Centre, University of Maiduguri, on Saturday, November 29, 2025