President Muhammadu Buhari has urged graduates of Nigerian universities to take advantage of their energy for entrepreneurship and creativity.
He assured of the federal government commitment to putting in place an enabling environment for the sustenance of entrepreneurial spirit and challenged graduates to key into the engaging opportunities.
Speaking through the Minister of State for Education, Professor Anthony Anwukah, during the 11th convocation ceremony of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka yesterday, Buhari described education as the fulcrum through which the socio-economic development of any society could be leveraged and assured that his administration will continue to give prime place to education.
“University education and other tiers of education should indeed go beyond the transition of knowledge and skills.
“Much as these are of pivotal importance, universities should also strive to inculcate values, tolerance, respect for the rights of others, respect for constituted authority and the rule of law and order.
“These are the values that build and hold the fabric of the society and imbue on the graduands the disposition of mind that enables them to deploy knowledge and skills acquired for the advancement of the society,” he said.
Earlier, the university’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ahaneku, said a total of 7887 graduands were produced for the 2016/2017 academic year.
Congratulating the former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, Nigeria’s former Ambassador to South Africa, Shehu Mallami and Managing Director, Mp Infrastructure, Clem Nwogbo, who were given honorary doctorate degrees, Ahaneku said the awardees distinguished themselves through their unwavering commitment to selfless service.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
