A strong call has been made for drug tests for both university students and the academic staff in order to ascertain their mental health conditions and sanitise the system.
The call was made by the outgoing Vice Chancellor of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, Prof. Muhammad Ahmed Abdulazeez, while delivering his valedictory speech to the Senate of the University held at the Senate Building, Gubi Campus, on Friday.
According to him, “If the students are to be subjected to a drug test to determine their mental health status, nothing is wrong if the lecturers too are subjected to the same test. That is the only way to check excesses in the university system.”
The outgoing VC expressed confidence that if it is done, sanity will be brought back to the university campus across the country, which will in turn promote academic excellence and sanctity in line with the objective of establishing the university system.
According to him, “I have indeed, by the grace of the Almighty, played my own part in our collective effort towards improving academic excellence at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University as its Vice-Chancellor. I promoted academic excellence at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University as its vice-chancellor.”
He added that the modest achievements we have recorded in the areas of infrastructural development, academic content development, and community services could not have been possible without the support of all stakeholders in the system.”
“In this regard, I will like to begin by expressing my gratitude to the Federal Government of Nigeria for the support rendered to the university through the Federal Ministry of Education and its various agencies, such as the National Universities Commission and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, without whose support in the last five years we could not have achieved anything,” he added.
The outgoing VC stated that next, “I will like to humbly and respectfully appreciate the support, cooperation, and guidance from the management, staff, and students of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University whom I have directly worked with in order to realise the goals we set to achieve as a university. My special thanks also go to ASUU, SSANU, NASU, NAATS, and the SUG for the continued understanding, encouragement, guidance, and patience that characterised the calm atmosphere of our journey in the last five years. No doubt, your mature response to our management goals was awesome and progressive. I cannot thank you enough for this favourable relationship.”
He also said, “At this juncture, I will like to recognise the role played by our esteemed stakeholders in creating balance and the calmness needed for the progress of our university. In this regard, I will like to thank the Bauchi State Government for its leadership role and support for our university; the Bauchi State Council of Traditional Rulers for its fatherly role, support, and encouragement; the parents and guardians of our dear students; the University Alumni Association; the various print, electronic, and internet-based media; and all other professional unions and associations we have directly or indirectly interacted with in the last five years.”
He then announced that the University Senate has elected Prof. Sani Usman Kunya to take over from him as acting vice-chancellor, pending the election of a substantive one.
According to him, “This election received the blessing of the federal government. Professor Sani Usman Kunya is currently the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics). While I take my exit today, I wish my incoming successor a fruitful tenure. I want to urge for the same support accorded to my leadership to be extended to him so that he can succeed in building a stronger ATBU. Thank you, and may Allah bless us all.”
In his acceptance speech, the Acting Vice Chancellor, Professor Sani Usman Kunya, said, “Today is indeed a special day for me as I bow to take on the onerous responsibility of acting as the Vice Chancellor of our great university. It is a special day because it marks the beginning of the responsibility you, the Senate, have bestowed on me on behalf of our community.”
He added, “Therefore, I will like to express my gratitude to the Senate of the University for finding me worthy of this honour and to the Federal Government of Nigeria for the confirmation of your free will.”
“I want to assure you that your valuable confidence in me will not be disappointing. I shall do everything within my capability to build on the legacies of my predecessors in terms of maintaining and improving academic excellence,” he assured.
He added, “To the staff and students of the university, let me assure you that within the limited time of my duty as the Acting Vice Chancellor, I will ensure that your productivity is improved so that we can gain more of the ingredients of good administrative practices and better teaching methods in order to fit into the modern academic pursuit in world-class universities.”
According to him, “We are living in a fast-evolving society where competition is heightened. We cannot afford to lag behind, especially now. The fast development of artificial intelligence is about to dominate the global sphere. Universities are the bedrock of these changes. We must strive to keep pace with this modern trend in order to survive our acquired excellence.”
“With your much-needed support, we shall all succeed. I want to express my gratitude to the outgoing Vice Chancellor, Professor MA AbdulAzeez, whom I have worked under as the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics. Your humility and open-hearted approach to issues made my time with you memorable and honourable. ATBU cannot thank you enough for your invaluable service as its Vice Chancellor,” he added.
The Ag VC urged his colleagues here to rest assured that his doors are going to be opened 24/7 so that they can succeed in their dreams for a better ATBU, stressing, “Kindly knock on my door to offer any useful information and advice that will help to add value to the system. I will like to urge all and sundry to put hands on deck so that together we can collectively succeed as an institution.”
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