By Baba Adamu and Zakiyya Dangana Rabiu
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Suleiman Bala Muhammad, thanked the Federal Ministry of Education and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, for inaugurating projects worth N1.6 billion at the Nasarawa State University, as part of the University’s sixth combined convocation ceremony.
The projects included an ICT Complex, Faculty of Environment Sciences Building, Faculty of Education Building, Laboratory Complex, and offices.
The Vice-Chancellor thanked TETFUND and the ministry for supporting the institution with standard structures.“If you go round the campus, majority of the structures were constructed by TETFUND over the years. For this therefore, on behalf of the management and staff of the University, I want to express my profound gratitude to TETFUND”, he said.
Professor Bala-Mohammed disclosed that the ICT complex sponsored by TETFUND through the 2013/2016 intervention cost N315 million and the Faculty of Environmental Sciences also sponsored by TETFund cost N395 million.
He said the complex has more than 1,000 capacity computer work stations, offices and conveniences.
According to him, the Laboratory Complex and Offices are also sponsored by TETFund from its 2018/2019 special intervention at N541 million.
The Vice-Chancellor revealed that the Faculty of Education Building cost N355 million and was sponsored by Federal Government’s NEEDS Assessment Intervention.
Representatives of the Federal Ministry of Education, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, Arc Sunny Echono, Executive Secretary, TETFUND and the Nasarawa State governor, represented by his deputy, Dr Emmanuel Akabe, presided over the commissioning ceremony.
The Vice Chancellor was full of praises for the founder of the University and its first Visitor, Alhaji (Dr) Abdullahi for conceiving idea of establishing the University at a time many thought it was not practical, henced they concluded that it was not going to be a reality.
The Vice Chancellor who however said with the commitment and fighting spirit of Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu who appointed and supported an intellectual giant and Icon of scholarship, Professor Adamu Baikie, as pioneer Vice Chancellor, the University took off on a rocky foundation to become what it is today. It grew from strength to strength.
“Today, we can comfortably and proudly assert that Nasarawa State University Keffi is among the leading state universities in the country, especially in terms of diversity and cosmopolitan outlook”, he said.
“Our University is more diverse and cosmopolitan than not only it’s contemporaries, but, more than many federal universities in the country”, he stressed
He said the university, at inception, took off with 25 undergraduate programs with students intake of 301, which grew to have 68 programs today, with students intake of 4,167, as 2019/2020 academic session. We also have 22 senate approved directorates.
He said the university library has also witnessed impressive transformation from what it used to be – Analogue, to a fully digital services with 1000 seat capacity.
On human capital development, the Vice Chancellor revealed that the university, at inception, had a total of 291 staff, out of whom 82, were Academic Staff, while 60, were non Academic staff.
He said the university today has a total of 1,484 staff, out of whom 672 are academic staff, while 481, are non-academic.
He proudly revealed that the university which which at one time relied on other, especially old generation universities, for administrative manpower, has today become the supplier of chief executives of tertiary institutions in the country. He cited Federal University lokoja and Federal University Lafiya, whose Vice Chancellors are staff of Nasarawa state university. “The Bursar of Federal University lokoja, too, is one of us”, he added
On collaboration with other local and international universities of repute, Professor Muhammad disclosed that NSUK, at the moment, has collaboration with more than 30 world class universities and institutes in different parts of the world.
The Vice Chancellor gave the breakdown of the Postgraduate Graduands as: 611 PhD, 3,315 Academic Masters, 3,432 Professional Masters, and 2,776 Postgraduate Diplomas.