FUGUS seeks embassy’s support to establish mining faculty

The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Gusau (FUGUS), Professor Tukur Adamu, has sought the support of Nigeria’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Dr. Aliyu Gambo, in securing assistance for the establishment of a Faculty of Mining Engineering at the university.

In a statement issued on Wednesday evening, the university’s Chief Information and Public Relations Officer, Jamilu Ibrahim, said Adamu made the appeal during a courtesy visit to the ambassador at the Nigerian Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Vice-Chancellor explained that the proposed faculty would enable the university to produce the skilled manpower required for the effective exploration, exploitation and utilisation of the country’s mineral resources.

He noted that establishing the faculty was one of the pressing needs of the university’s host community, given the abundance of mineral resources in Zamfara State and other parts of Nigeria.

“Establishing the Faculty of Mining Engineering is one of the pressing needs of our host community, considering the vast mineral deposits with which Zamfara State, in particular, and Nigeria as a whole are endowed.

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“The lack of adequate manpower to effectively manage the exploration, exploitation and utilisation of these resources is one of the major challenges confronting this important sector.

“I am here to kindly request Your Excellency to use your exalted position to assist the University in securing the necessary support for the establishment of this all-important Faculty,” the Vice-Chancellor appealed.

Responding, Gambo thanked the Vice-Chancellor for the visit and assured him that the request would receive due consideration for appropriate action.

The ambassador also commended Adamu and his management team for their commitment to addressing some of the challenges confronting Nigeria’s mining sector.

In a related development, the Vice-Chancellor and his entourage visited the TAIBA Institute for Higher Training in Madinah to explore further areas of collaboration between the two institutions.

The delegation was conducted around various sections of the institute by its proprietor and Chief Executive Officer, Othman Zakaria, a Nigerian from Jangebe District in Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

The delegation subsequently held discussions with Zakaria, focusing largely on the institute’s relationship with industries.

Particular attention was given to how industry needs could inform curriculum development.

Adamu described the institute as a model of how higher institutions could establish meaningful relationships with industries to ensure that academic programmes remained relevant to labour market needs.

The Vice-Chancellor was accompanied on the visits by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Aliyu Usman Moyi, and the University Registrar, Nafisa Barau Suleiman.

The courtesy visits took place on the sidelines of the International Conference on e-Governance, which Adamu and the two other principal officers attended in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.