By Ene Linda Ajaka
Professor Aminu S Mikailu, a former Acting Vice Chancellor of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, has said the university is “doing very well” and has “grown from strength to strength” as it marks its twenty fifth anniversary.
Speaking with Education Monitor Magazine on the sidelines of the Silver Jubilee Anniversary and Eighth Combined Convocation Ceremony, Professor Mikailu attributed the institution’s growth to “very successful leadership” and prayed that the progress would continue.
“My message is that the university is doing very well. It has really grown from strength to strength and this has shown very successful leadership,” he said. “I pray that the progress will continue so that the university will continue to be ranked very highly both locally and globally.”
Asked what he had observed since leaving office, Professor Mikailu noted that the present administration is consolidating past gains.
“Anybody that comes here knows that the present administration is building on our successes,” he said. “What we have been able to do during the short time I served as Vice Chancellor, we continue to invigorate our actions.”
On government support, the former Acting Vice Chancellor said the role of government has been clear and should be sustained.
“Very clearly the government is helping the university and I think this should be sustained so that the university will continue to be projected as one of the best locally and internationally,” he stated.
Although he said he missed the convocation lecture delivered by Professor Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba, Professor Mikailu spoke on Lumumba’s broader message to Africa.
“From my reading about his speeches all over, he is trying to make sure that Africa is up to the task generally in being self-sufficient not only in the areas of economy but also in areas of technology,” he said.
On how the Nigerian government could adopt Lumumba’s ideas, he said it would depend on political will. “It depends upon the political situation and the politicians. They make promises and I believe that they will stand by those promises.”
Professor Mikailu added that Lumumba’s work offers lessons for academics. “Generally everything about what he is saying is a question of research based on evidence and also publication. What we need to do is to continue to propagate our understanding of issues and then to solicit for support from both government and industry.”
He stressed the need for stronger academic collaboration across the continent. “What I know of him is that this collaboration is already there. The only thing is that it should be further strengthened. As Nasarawa State University has tried to get in touch with him, the understanding should go beyond the lecture he has given. It should be a continuous process of collaboration between the university and other universities,” he said.