2023 presidential candidate and national leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Sen. Bola Tinubu, has donated a Centre of Leadership Development worth one billion naira to Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo.
LASU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, announced the donation at the 25th convocation lecture of LASU on Thursday.
The theme of the Convocation Lecture was: “Global Trends: Nigeria and its Place in the World. Do We Love Ourselves Enough”.
Represented at the event by Dr Obafemi Hamzat, Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Tinubu urged government support for strategic industries that would employ young people.
According to him, this move will unleash the youth productive capacity, noting that government backing of strategic manufacturing and industries would also open the door wider to youth-owned start-up businesses.
“National industrial and employment policies must jump from the pages of documents and come to real life.
“This will help to reform the society to improve the economic prospects of young people in it.
“We need a new more convivial way, a way that gives you the right start at a fair chance of durable prosperity.
“This is the moral duty of progressive government to resurrect a flagging economy; to do what the private sector can not do by itself,” Tinubu said.
He added that no longer should our national compass remain pointed towards poverty instead of prosperity and towards lack, instead of abundance.
“You graduates today should not live half lives or to subject your tremendous talents and aspirations to an economic condition that does not allow their full vent.
” That you now graduate from this exemplar of learning and knowledge means the right answer is within you.
“You have been equipped with the intellectual rigor, knowledge and an active social conscience all compelling you to place this right answer into practice,” Tinubu said.
The former Lagos State Governor noted that no society could long endure in an air of mistrust and acrimony.
“To flourish, there must be a full understanding that every Nigerian, regardless of place or circumstance, is equally entitled to the fundamental good things all human beings deserve and desire.
“Let us not befool ourselves, history is patient yet not forever lenient regarding negligent folly, there comes a time when there is no time.
“Either action is taken, and the urgent word said or precious chance slips away, lost forever. Our nation approaches such a moment,” Tinubu said.