No nation can achieve accelerated development without stable, respectable university system — Buhari

President Mohammadu Buhari has declared that no nation can achieve accelerated development without a stable and respectable university system stressing that universities have the potential and responsibility of training the necessary human capital to drive the various development initiatives of government.

The President who made the declaration at the 33rd and 34th combined convocation of the University of Jos over the weekend said the celebrations were reflection of the Commitment of his administration to the education sector and his firm belief that sustainable development can only be guaranteed by the quality of a nation’s human capital development.

President Buhari who was represented by the executive secretary National University Commission (NUC) Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed pointed out that challenges in infrastructure are being addressed by the needs assessment programme of Nigerian public universities as well as massive interventions by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund and station allocations of institutions noting that gradually tertiary institution in the country are becoming models of excellence in global education landscape.

“Under the current administration, no fewer than eighty-three (83) internal road projects have been constructed by the government and its agencies across the nation’s federal tertiary institutions. In reciprocating the government’s huge investments in the education sub-sector, the nation’s universities must offer us a requisite roadmap for overcoming the world of poverty, deprivation, and despair.”

According to him, among the notable achievements of the University of Jos that have attracted the attention of the government over the years are the excellent performances of its academic programs, which include law, medicine, pharmacy, theatre, and film arts.

He said other achievements include the grant of USD$2 million in 2023 by the Carnegie Corporation of New York; breakthrough findings in the area of malaria and snake venom research; and more recently, the landmark strides made as part of the consortium of researchers involved in the development of a homegrown COVID-19 vaccine, funded by the 2021 Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund Mega Research Grant (Vaccine Production)).

The President appealed to the various staff and students on campus to consider themselves partners in progress in the onerous task of repositioning the university system for optimal productivity and quality service delivery.

In his address, the new Chancellor of the University of Jos, the Emir of Zazzau,
His Highness, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, recalled how the University of Jos was established in 1975 and today has become a preferred academic destination.

He regarded his appointment as UNIJOS Chancellor as a patriotic call to duty and pledged not to spare any effort to make the university the envy of its peers.

The Chancellor also added that he intends to maintain the legacies of his predecessors by building trust and human connection, as well as the ability to unearth common ground that will bring people closer to one another.

He commended Fidelity Bank Plc for its benevolence and sponsorship of the renovation of the convocation auditorium, the current management of the institution, the alumni association for the giant stride recorded within the short period in Naraguta campuses, and

Also, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Tanko Ishaya, in his address, called on the federal government to change the current funding model of universities as it is not sustainable.

“They should involve a model that is sustainable in the development of the Nigerian university education system. Another issue is the challenge of IPPIS. This policy has come to kill the Nigerian university system.

Prof. Ishaya also lamented the growing insecurity and land encroachment on the Naraguta campus of the university, noting that the federal and state governments should come to their aid in terms of building a perimeter fence to secure staff and students of the university.

Meanwhile, two other eminent Nigerians, Prof. Suleiman Elias Bogoro and Amb. Yahaya Kwande, who have contributed to the founding and later development of UNIJOS, were conferred with honorary doctorate degrees.

While Prof. Suleiman Elias Bogoro, former Executive Secretary of TETfund, was conferred with the Award of Doctor of Science Honoris Causa, elder statesman Ambassador Yahaya Kwande was also honored with the Award of Doctor of Letters Honoris Causa, both for their role in making UNIJOS the highly rated university it is today.