 And the great crocs. Great crocs. The greatest of the greatest of the greatest of the greatest crocs. Thank you very much. I bring you very warm greetings from the visitor of the university, our President, President Mohammed Buhari, GCFR, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on whose behalf I present the visitor's address. It's a special pleasure to be with you on this special occasion of the combined convocation ceremonies of the Federal University, Wukari. It's also a pleasure to be here in the heart of the ancient Pararafa Kingdom for 45 years. For 45 years, this kingdom was ruled by Akku Kawukari, His Royal Majesty, Shekarao, Angu, Masa, Ibi, Kivi on the second. Chairman then of the Taraba State Council of Traditional Rulers who recently passed on after a life of meritorial service to this community, to the state and the nation. I extend sincere condolences on behalf of the Federal Government to His family, the Wukari Traditional Council, the Government of Taraba State. May His memory always be blessed. Let me also salute the fine academics and scholars who make up the faculties here. Every good university is so because of its academics. And I'm told that the university has recently been ranked as the top Federal University in the Northeast geopolitical zone. Congratulations. The university has also widened its academic base. The number of faculties has increased from three to nine. And the College of Medical Sciences, the faculties of Engineering, Education and Law recently commenced academic programs. Very well done indeed. We must now work diligently and in collaboration with the private sector and relevant government agencies to ensure that you have the best possible teaching hospital facilities for the medical programs of the university. Also, you are close to the Mambila Hydro Project. Perhaps there are ways that your engineering faculty cannot value to the implementation of that project. The Ministry of Power may be able to point you in the right direction for this purpose. I applaud the university's choice of honorary degree recipients. His Excellency Alaji Amadou Adamu Muazu, former Governor of Bauchi State. Dr. Damian Dodo, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, a highly successful legal practitioner. And Chief Innocent Ifyadoso Chukuma, Chairman Innoson Motors. These are individuals who represent the true spirit of Nigeria, hard work, diligence, resilience, creativity, and the success that crowns it all. As the alumni of the university, you have become partners and also I urge you to please render the support to the university in all ways possible. Congratulations. And to the main reason for our gathering today, the graduating students, congratulations on the successful completion of your various degree programs, and an extra commendation to the prize winners. The journey of acquiring a degree is one that tests the resilience of individuals, their grit, as well as their knowledge of the subject matter. And I'm glad that you've been found indeed worthy in character and learning. Congratulations also to the parents, the guardians, families and friends, and all who sacrifices and efforts have helped to actualize the dreams of the graduates. Your Excellency's honored guests, permit me a moment or two to offer a few words of admonition and advice to our graduating students. You belong to one of the most resilient, dynamic, and energetic populations on this planet, a people that are by nature undaunted by the challenges of the environment. In this country, Nigerians have established industries of global renown, and they've achieved things that have earned international acclaim. This can-do spirit is why Nigeria is now home to the third-largest film industry in the world, and why we are the epicenter of a global and pan-African popular culture driven by the dynamism of Nigerian creatives. We often cite what is going on in digital technology as an example of what is possible. Young Nigerians, such as yourselves, are pioneering new patterns of enterprise and work creation, and in the process of establishing this country as the most vibrant innovation hub on the African continent. There are several unicorns and promising start-ups in Nigeria already. In the FinTech sector, we have such examples as Andela, Flutterwave, Pasta, InterSwitch, all companies that are valued at over a hundred billion dollars each. Many of these companies were started by young men and women in 2015 and have prospered even in the midst of two recessions and two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our technology entrepreneurs and innovators are not just applying their talents to profit-making and all other endeavors, but they are also seeking to address social problems. In the past, I've had calls to mention a few young Nigerians that are creating and innovating in various spheres. I've spoken in the past about people like Sadat Aliou, who runs the technology hub in Karno, who has developed an application for reporting cases of sexual assault. Many of you may have heard of Amal Hazan, the young woman who established the leading business process outsourcing company, not just in Nigeria, but in Africa, based in Kaduna State. Her company, Outsource Global, trains hundreds of Nigerians in exportable business processing skills. Or Silas Adekuni, the robotics engineer who invented Mekamon, the world's first intelligent gaming robot. Or Max China, who at 26, invented the Genesis Cooker. Clestoh, that addresses the problems of smoke pollution, which kills an estimated four million people every year in Africa. Or Ejikeme Patrikunosu, an organic chemist who has invented a fire retardant paint that would drastically reduce the risk of fire outbreaks. These are only few of the young Nigerians that are working on solutions to all sorts of Nigeria's challenges. I urge you therefore to see the various challenges in our environment as opportunities for the creation of solutions. We are a nation rapidly expanding with attendant human sustenance needs. You must take full advantage of the knowledge and skills that you have acquired to innovate and create, be productive, and make value addition your motto. Government is ready and willing to support initiatives that will create wealth, jobs, and opportunities. And this is why we have established initiatives such as the 75 billion National Youth Investment Fund and the Central Bank of Nigeria's Creative Sector Fund. It is why I recently approved the Investing in Digital and Creative Enterprises, IDICE program, an over $600 million program that will support young tech and creative sector entrepreneurs through the provision of finance, skills development, and infrastructure. This year, this year the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows program will begin and every year under the program 20,000 young graduates who have done the National Youth Service will be given fully paid internships that will last for 12 months in reputable private and public sector organizations across the country. The idea is that participants will gain relevant career and life skills that will enable them transition seamlessly into professional business or public sector careers while also earning a living along the way. The program will last for five years and it is funded by the federal government, the UNDP, and the European Union. But this is not all that is happening. The infrastructure is key to all development and we recognize that digital technology is our pathway to accelerated growth so we are to ensure broadband connectivity for all by 2025. We are also connecting the vast reaches of our country by investing heavily in rail and road infrastructure and also in power because we recognize that the ease and speed that people can move goods and services is a key accelerant of economic development in effect we are opening new economic corridors that can enhance trade and enable access to markets. These ongoing projects are resulting in the creation of more jobs and increased economic in the host communities. We've also dedicated a significant portion to social investments which cater to the poor and the vulnerable. We are in the homegrown school feeding program feeding 9.5 million children in public schools daily. The Empire Job Scheme provides jobs for 500,000 young Nigerian graduates and recently that has been expanded to one million. We have also 20,000 non-graduates in different areas of the public services. The Government Enterprises and Empowerment Program Jeep has the largest micro credit scheme in Africa providing soft loans without collateral directly to 2 million petty traders and artisans under the market money, farmer money and trader money initiatives. Currently the national social sector of poor and vulnerable Nigerians has 32.6 million persons from 7 million and vulnerable households. And for the first time in the history of our nation we have laid the foundations of a social safety for our people. But nation building is a continuous process. It involves all of us. It's not just about doing well in our own jobs or innovation and it's not just about brick and mortar. It's not just about infrastructure. It's about building bridges of brotherhood and unity. There are those who will tempt you into believing that you are locked in a life and death struggle for resources with your compatriots. You may have heard for instance that because someone is cheap then the jukun and the edoma and the edoma are mortal adversaries or that if you are jukun then the chamber or the fulani are your implacable enemies. Let it be that it is your generation that will bury once and for all these prejudices and heal the wounds and build a great society of brothers and sisters of different tribes and different tongues. You belong to a generation of Nigerians ordained by momentous historical circumstances to play on a grander stage. You belong to the most globalized generation ever to walk this earth and your field of competition is not local. It is global. You have come of age in the era of worldwide marketplace opportunities. You must refuse to be consumed by the petty prejudices and biases that predispose us to mutual antagonism with our neighbors and fellow citizens. You must refuse. You must refuse to be prisoners of history and commit to encountering the world with an open mind. This university is a federal university and you have met here and made friends with people from diverse parts of the country. This was one of the goals for establishing federal universities all over this nation to bring Nigerians together in the same learning and social environments and to strengthen affinity between them. The challenges that we are facing demand that we close ranks as a people because indeed a house divided against itself cannot stand. One of the most profound lessons of history is that diversity is essential for growth. It follows therefore that promoting unity in diversity holds a very real promise of fostering a creative synergy of our constituent communities in ways that would dramatically amplify our national performance. Furthermore, larger nations also mean potentially larger markets and larger fields for production. Giving this dynamics any call for disintegration of our country is an invitation to economic suicide. By reason of her shared size and population Nigeria is a huge market and potentially carries all that is required to be a continental hub for a broad range of value-added economic activities. Our country is feared, respected and revered in the continent and in the world because we have the size, we have the resources and we have the manpower and we truly great nation and we will be the greatest that our potential offers us. Nigeria's increased growth can literally stimulate development on a regional and continental scale. The inclusive prosperity which we aspire to is only impossible within the framework of unity in diversity. So staying together as a people and not just a good idea is an imperative with real consequences for the lives of millions of Nigerians. So as I conclude, I urge the university to continue to prioritize genuine scholarship for global competitiveness but more importantly also for local relevance. As primary partners of the society through teaching, learning and research and community service, your host community must feel your positive impact. You must harness local knowledge also especially in the areas of agriculture, power, tourism and hospitality to enhance your scholarship in these and other relevant areas. Government on its own part will continue through its programs and policies to encourage productivity and excellence. It is always to strengthen the spirit of self-reliance amongst young people promoting entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation. Congratulations again to our honorary graduates, to our graduating students. And I pray for the graduating students that you will make progress speedily and that your work will be rewarded with promotion and prosperity. I wish you a great future. Long live the federal university, long live the state, long live the great federal republic of Nigeria.