The Federal University Wukari in Taraba State is one of the fastest growing new universities established by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011. In this piece, our correspondent, Nathaniel Gbaoron takes a look at the gains of the institution since its establishment.
The Federal University Wukari in Taraba State located about 200 kilometres from Jalingo, the state capital, was established in 2011 by President Goodluck Jonathan.
Sitting on a land mass area of 199.25 hectares, the University at take-off acquired the facilities of the Wukari Campus of the Taraba State Polytechnic.
Professor Abubakar Musa Kundiri, who was appointed the second Vice Chancellor of the University in March 2016, has transformed the University in terms of academics and infrastructural development.
The University, which boasts of three key faculties of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Humanities, Management and Social Sciences as well as Pure & Applied Sciences, has 25 academic departments offering 27 undergraduate Degree Programmes.
Tanko Yusuf, a 300-level student in the Department of Chemistry, told our correspondent that the smooth running of academic programmes in the University has attracted students’ population into the University.
“In terms of infrastructure, the Vice Chancellor has turnED the University into a construction site as massive infrastructural projects are currently ongoing in the school. We are lucky to have someone like him as the Vice Chancellor. If we had him from the beginning to lay the foundation, the University would have been far from where it is currently,” he said.
Kundiri on assumption of office came out with a Medium-Term Strategic Plan to Guide the Growth of the University, and this led to the full accreditation of all 27 undergraduate programmes of the University
He has since completed all abandoned projects including Faculty buildings, lecture theatres, classrooms, halls, cafeterias, medical centre, students’ hostels, perimeter fencing, entrepreneurial centre, among others.
Other projects include, construction of senior academic staff housing to attract quality academic staff; construction of principal officers’ housing units, construction of world-class Central Laboratory; development of security infrastructure to ensure safety of people and property in the university and its immediate environment.
The university has also provided industrial boreholes and reticulation, solar street lighting, waste management system and construction of over 10 kilometres of roads within the campus.
A lecturer in the Department of Economics, Stephen Nev, said the construction of new Faculty buildings to house the establishment of new Faculties of Education; Engineering and Technology; Law and Medicine as well as other infrastructure to address ecological challenges on the campus has made the university stand out among its peers.
“The Vice Chancellor has established the School of Postgraduate Studies which will soon commence
Postgraduate diploma, Master’s and Doctoral programmes in all departments of the University.
“There is also deployment of ICT infrastructure including campus-wide wireless services backed by fire optic infrastructure,” Nev said.
He also said that the “Development of University Website and Portal Automation of Council, Senate and other meetings through the installation of computing facilities in the Council/Senate Chamber has made Communication easier in the University.”
Other gains of the University include appointment of over 20 professors and associate professors in order to meet the quality requirements of programmes of the University; partnership agreements with diverse organisations including the French Government for the sponsorship of academic staff for postgraduate studies.
Prof. Kundiri in an interview with our correspondent also added that the University has gone into partnership with the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in research on agriculture and crop development.
He added that the university has developed new varieties of finger millet for farmers, electrification of all parts of the university and initiation of the construction of an Independent Power Project on campus.
“We have established a full-fledged university Fire Service, upgraded the University Medical Centre to integrate the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS); we have ensured the maintenance of cordial relations between Town and Gown so as to ensure mutual benefit and support,” he said.
According to the Vice Chancellor, “This has led to the community continually relying on the university to support their educational and related socio-economic aspirations.”
He added that the university has developed linkages and partnerships between the university and national and international organisations which he said had brought immense benefits in the infrastructural, educational resource and human capacity developments.
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