Plateau State Governor, Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang has said that the state-owned University, Bokkos would be accorded the needed attention by his administration to enable it operate in line with the global best practices.
Governor Mutfwang stated this at the New Government House, Rayfield in Jos, the capital city of Plateau State, when the Pro-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Ibiora Ike led the management of the institution on a courtesy call.
The governor, who expressed his passion for education, said his administration would not only ensure the continued existence of Plateau State University but make it become a centre of academic excellence in Nigeria.
He appreciated the Pro-Chancellor for the selfless service he has rendered to Plateau State and the value he has added to the Plateau State University by connecting the institution to the global society.
“Education is not something we should over-emphasize because it would have been a tragedy if Plateau State University was not up and running,” the governor said.
According to him, “One of the biggest assets we have on the Plateau is the human asset and I believe that there is no any better place to train human capital than in the ivory tower.
“Therefore, it has become incumbent on us to ensure that Plateau State University does not only exist but that it is supported in any way we can to become a centre of excellence.”
Governor Mutfwang, who noted that he shared the Pro-Chancellor’s passion and commitment towards education, added that he would not want the state to have a University just for the sake of it but should be able to compete with its peers across the globe.
“To this end, wherever I have reason to interact with top government functionaries, and foreign diplomats, I have also taken it as a duty to promote Plateau State University,” he said.
Mutfwang further said.that he was already talking with Bulgarian Ambassador to Nigeria on collaborating with higher institutions of learning to train and retrain lecturers from Plateau State University, adding that those were some of the steps he has taken to revamp and connect the institution to the global community.
“I will constitute myself into the Chief Advocate of the progress of Plateau State University. We came in with a lot of constraints on ground. I tell people that I am not a politician but I am into politics and therefore, when I make statements, I don’t make them out of politics.
“I speak the reality on ground and one of the realities we found on ground was that we have a huge liability. Therefore, the focus of this administration is on wealth creation so that we can lift our people out of poverty. Because if we do not find a way of increasing the capacity of government to generate revenue, all the requests you have made will become a mirage.
“We are putting plans in place to ensure that we expand the Plateau economy, and that is the only way we can increase government revenue to enable us service the social sector. I am confident that the plans we are about to roll out, before long, they will begin to yield the desired dividends,” he said.
Governor Mutfwang also said that with available resources, education will become a key priority of his administration and promised to look into the requests of the Management of Plateau State University.
The Pro-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Ibiora Ike congratulated Governor Mutfwang on his emergence as the true winner of the 18 March, 2023 Governorship election in the state and described him as God fearing, whose decisions are divinely inspired.
He explained that Plateau State University has not received subvention in the last five months, yet the staff refused to join civil servants who are currently on strike due to patriotism and loyalty to the state.
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