Babatope Okeowo 
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has decried the brain drain in the country and advised the youth to remain within the country and salvage the economic crisis instead of emigrating abroad in search of greener pastures.
The President said his administration is aware of the economic crisis being faced by the citizens and is working towards ameliorating the suffering of the masses.
In his address at the weekend during the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) during the combined 34th and 35th convocation ceremony, Tinubu who was represented by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof Wahab Egbewole bemoaned a situation where the youth who are the future of the country left the country in search of greener pastures.
Pointedly, Tinubu said “Many of our youths have chosen the supposed easy option of emigrating to the proverbial greener pastures where their citizens had rolled up their sleeves to bring their nations back from the brinks in their times of trouble. Such inclination has led to the brain drain syndrome that we now experience in all areas of our endeavors as a nation.”
According to him “Our intellectuals and experts on whom the nation has massively invested huge resources to train in the interest of our country are migrating overseas in large numbers at a time their services are most required at home. It is heart-rending and the syndrome is not the solution to our problems.
“We are not Nigerians by accident, and I believe that the Almighty God who made us Nigerians has given us the required wisdom to turn things around for our betterment.
“The present challenges call for a high degree of patriotism and I can assure all Nigerians that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
“After rain comes sunshine. The brighter days are almost here. The Renewed Hope Agenda is on track and we shall not deviate on the path of a better and greater Nigeria”
The President said the present economic situation in the country required institutions to join efforts towards giving a better life to the people and giving the citizens a prosperous nation.
He said the government is expecting homegrown solutions to the nation’s common problems just as he encouraged researchers to bring up their research outputs that would improve the well-being of our people.
He called on the organized private sector to collaborate with the nation’s research institutions to develop research outputs for the benefit of the citizens and the improvement of the economy.
The President said he took the baton of authority at a time when the economy was nose-diving as a result of heavy debts from fuel and dollar subsidies. He said the subsidies were meant to support the poor and make life better for all Nigerians.
However, he said the poor and average Nigerians were the sufferers of what was supposed to give them succor and an improved standard of living, saying the good life the citizens thought they were living was a fake one that was capable of leading the country to a total collapse unless drastic efforts were urgently taken.
According to him, “The need to salvage the future of our children and bring the country back from the brink of collapse necessitated the strategic decisions to remove the fuel subsidy and also unify the exchange rates.
“I am not unaware of the consequences of the tough decisions on our people. I sincerely wish there could be softer options.”
Tinubu said the results of the policies are already yielding the expected results. He said the macro-economy, which directly affects our citizens of the country, is improving by the day and beyond expectations.
On the challenges facing high institutions, Tinubu assured Nigerians that his government was making concerted efforts to address the situation holistically.
His words “My Government would not shirk its responsibilities in this regard. We will ensure that educational institutions get their dues to function effectively and efficiently.
“I know for a fact that the stability of the academic calendar is key to the growth and development of educational institutions.
“I do not doubt that we can achieve stability in the University academic calendar if we come together as critical stakeholders.
“However, this cannot be achieved unless a peaceful industrial harmony is provided, and purposeful and participatory governance fostered.”
Tinubu admonished all the unions in the universities to cooperate with the government to deliver the needed development by ensuring an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity on our campuses.
