President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday said the country’s universities have a role to play in reducing insecurity, corruption and ethnic tensions.

The president said this in a message to the 48th convocation of University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Enugu State.

Buhari said universities must define their roles and carve a niche for themselves by designing programmes that would progressively assist government in poverty reduction, health promotion, application of new technologies for the advancement of knowledge, promotion and sustenance of human development.

He said collaboration between the public and private sector would enhance the development of the Nigeria’s educational system.

The president also said the government recognised that Nigeria could not strive for accelerated development without huge investments in the education sector.

According to him, education had been known as the antidote to poverty and ignorance as well as key to unlocking the country’s natural resources, hence it ould not be left to the government alone.

He stated the private sector must be actively involved in the task of providing quality education for Nigerians.

Prof. Benjamin Ozumba, the Vice Chancellor, in his address, said that holders of the institution’s post graduate degrees were classified as highly skilled manpower all over the world.

He charged the graduands to go on to occupy the many leadership positions available in the country and even beyond the country.

Oba Adeyeye Enitan, the Ooni of Ife and Chancellor of the university, said the institution would continue to cherish constructive ideas and contributions that perpetuate competence, project resourcefulness and consolidate global visibility.