By Wale Akinselure
The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has said educating the girl-child remains the most effective strategy for tackling intergenerational poverty and several of the country’s socio-economic challenges.
Sanusi stated this in his keynote address at the maiden convocation of Miva Open University, held at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts in Lagos on Saturday.
A total of 1,212 students, comprising 970 postgraduates and 242 undergraduates, made up the Class of 2026.
The event also featured the investiture of Dr Tunji Olowolafe as the first Pro-Chancellor of the university.
Speaking, the Kano Emir said keeping girls in school would significantly reduce maternal and neonatal deaths, malnutrition and the number of out-of-school children.
He said, “If there is one single silver bullet that goes through many of the developmental issues that we face, it is educating the girl-child.
“You keep a young woman in school long enough, you deal with problems of maternal death, neonatal death, malnutrition, out-of-school children and intergenerational poverty.”
The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria added that girl-child education was also one of the most effective ways of promoting family planning and child spacing.
“Education is the most effective contraception you can give a woman. You educate her, she knows how to find out about contraceptives; you don’t have to start teaching her,” he said.
Sanusi described education as a fundamental right rather than a privilege reserved for a few, arguing that societies that deny citizens access to quality education ultimately undermine national development.
“Education is not a privilege. It is not a reward for those fortunate enough to be born in the right city, to the right family or with the right resources. Education is a right. And when systems are built that deny it, they do not merely fail individuals, they fail nations,” he said.
He praised the university for expanding access to higher education through technology, saying online learning had created opportunities for people who would otherwise have been unable to pursue university education.
According to him, digital education enables students to study irrespective of their location or personal circumstances.
He dismissed claims that online education is inferior to conventional learning, insisting that academic quality depends on rigorous standards rather than physical classrooms.
“Quality is not a function of geography. Rigour is not a function of architecture. Excellence does not require that you sit in a particular building in a particular city. What it requires is a learning environment that is honest, demanding and designed around the success of the student,” he said.
Addressing the graduating students, the monarch urged them to become solution providers and job creators instead of waiting for employment opportunities.
“The job market is difficult, but the people who create their own opportunities, who build rather than apply and who solve rather than complain, are the people who ultimately define what the system becomes,” he said.
He also encouraged the graduates to embrace lifelong learning, integrity and courage, stressing that education remained one asset that could never be taken away.
“Everything else can be taken from you, but no one can take away your education, your integrity, your courage and your principles,” Sanusi added.
The event was attended by personalities, including the Chancellor of Miva Open University, Sim Shagaya; Pro-Chancellor, Dr Tunji Olowolafe; Vice-Chancellor, Prof Tayo Arulogun; Registrar, Lovelyn Okonkwo; Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin; the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Alausa; and the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof Abdullahi Ribadu, represented by Ayoteju Ogun.
Also present were the Olowu of Owu, Oba Saka Adelola, and the Lagos State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Mr Tolani Sule.
Speaking, the Minister of Education said the university was already championing the future of education by taking learning beyond the four walls of the classroom.
Alausa said, “As Artificial Intelligence and digital technology transform economies, universities must evolve.
“Miva represents the future of education in the next 100 years. Education and learning must evolve. We are in an era of the democratisation of education.”
Reeling out the Federal Government’s commitments to education, Alausa urged the graduands to be part of a generation that builds and creates opportunities for societal development.
In his remarks, the Lagos Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu emphasised that graduating from university was not the end but the beginning of greater responsibility.
Despite earning their certificates, Sanwo-Olu urged the graduands to embrace entrepreneurship, innovation, creativity and integrity.
Sanwo-Olu said, “Beyond academic qualifications, adaptability and critical thinking are crucial, especially in today’s world of Artificial Intelligence and technological innovation.
“This is not the end but the beginning of a much larger responsibility. Don’t seek opportunities; create them. Let integrity be your anchor.”
This was as Olowolafe cautioned against the perception of Open and Distance Learning as an inferior alternative to conventional education.
He noted that the democratisation of education offered by ODL does not lower academic standards.
Olowolafe said, “ODL is usually viewed as a lesser option. If well executed, it may do even more for education.
“Democratising education does not mean lowering standards. It means designing systems to meet learners where they are.”
Addressing the graduands, he said, “You did not receive a diluted education.”
He also urged them to pursue lifelong learning beyond graduation.
“Do not mistake your degree for the end of your education. The real test is whether you keep learning. As the maiden graduating class, carry yourselves responsibly and serve as role models for future Miva students,” Olowolafe said.
Speaking on the university’s plans, Chancellor Sim Shagaya said Miva would establish robotics and drone laboratories, beginning with Abuja and Lagos.
He added that the university had also launched a bachelor’s degree programme in Artificial Intelligence.
Shagaya said, “We can’t just be consumers of technology. AI is rewriting societies.
“We want to power the next generation. Our students will write algorithms to solve Nigeria’s challenges. We also plan to establish cutting-edge robotics and drone laboratories, as well as physical centres in every local government area of the country.”
Vice-Chancellor Arulogun outlined the university’s vision of becoming one of the top 10 universities in Nigeria and among the top 50 globally.
He said the institution’s emphasis on postgraduate education was aimed at pioneering transformational research.
Arulogun said, “We are positioning ourselves to be among the finest universities globally. We are reinventing horizons in a bid to empower one million Africans by 2030. We will scale up our infrastructure to become one of the top 10 universities in Nigeria and among the top 50 universities globally.”
He added that the institution had established a Career Advancement Centre to support graduates seeking employment.
According to him, 50 per cent of the university’s finalists are employed, 25 per cent are self-employed, while seven per cent work as freelancers.
Miva Open University received its operating licence from the National Universities Commission in May 2023 and admitted its first set of students in October 2023.
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