By Ochigbo Glory Ada & Grace Ehi Unogwu – FUDMA
The Federal University Dutsin-Ma (FUDMA) Management Committee has strengthened its bond with the host community after paying a high-level courtesy visit to the Executive Chairman of Dutsin-Ma Local Government Council, Hon. Kabir Abdulsalam Shema. The visit was aimed at formally introducing FUDMA’s new leadership, consolidating the long-standing cordial relationship, and expressing gratitude for the council’s sustained support and collaboration.
Speaking during the visit, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Mohammed Khalid Othman thanked Almighty Allah for making the engagement possible after several earlier attempts were stalled by unavoidable circumstances. He noted that the Hon. Chairman had earned the distinction of being the first dignitary to visit the university, describing the Dutsin-Ma community as the “chief host” whose role is inseparable from FUDMA’s success and achievements.
Prof. Othman revealed that Dutsin-Ma has been his second home since 1976, following the settlement of his mother in the area.
Briefing the Chairman on recent developments, the VC said that since assuming office as substantive Vice-Chancellor in November 2026, he found the university operating under strain. “Despite having over 30,000 students and about 4,000 staff, the university was operating at a congested Take-off campus,” he said. This situation, he explained, had necessitated the relocation of about six faculties and 5,000 students to the Main campus by September 2026, a move informed by consultations, security assessments, and targeted interventions.
He identified transportation, internal road networks, and the repair of vandalized electricity cables linking Dutsin-Ma town to the Main campus as pressing challenges confronting the university. Prof. Othman stressed that tackling these issues would require the active support of neighbouring communities and all stakeholders.
Looking ahead, the VC disclosed that FUDMA plans to introduce vocational, technical, agricultural, and community development programmes for neighbouring communities to address youth unemployment—a challenge he said continues to affect both the state and the nation. He also called for structured arrangements for internship and practical attachments for health sciences students, urging closer collaboration with the community and local authorities to roll out scheduled healthcare outreach services that would directly benefit residents.
In his response, Hon. Kabir Abdulsalam Shema expressed appreciation to the university management for choosing the local government for the visit. He described FUDMA as “a heterogeneous environment that accommodates staff and students from different backgrounds, cultures, and religious affiliations,” which demands collective responsibility and coordinated efforts to achieve balanced growth and stability.
The Chairman urged the university to nominate a representative, preferably from the Security Directorate, to serve on the Dutsin-Ma Local Government Security Committee alongside other key stakeholders in the area.
He outlined steps needed to bolster security and improve town-gown relations, including engaging members of neighbouring communities to foster mutual understanding, providing recreational and essential services to make the Main campus more conducive for learning, and organizing regular medical outreaches to enhance healthcare delivery.
Hon. Shema reaffirmed the council’s readiness to support the university within available means, particularly in fixing the vandalized electricity cables from Dutsin-Ma to the Main campus and in addressing security concerns, for the mutual benefit of both parties.