By Yahaya Buhari Bungudu
THE Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Gusau in Zamfara State, Prof. Muazu Abubakar, has urged students of the institution not to seek transfer to other institutions because of the current security challenges affecting the university.
The VC noted that insecurity was not peculiar to Zamfara State, adding that efforts were being made to address the situation.
He noted that all the students of the university who were kidnapped by bandits had been rescued, adding that to encourage them, the university made registration for the new session free for them.
The vice-chancellor spoke on Monday at a press conference heralding the university’s upcoming combined convocation.
Muazu said, “The insecurity challenges affecting the institution are unique; we are making frantic efforts to put things in order; measures are being taken to restore normalcy in the institution.
“Those who want to transfer to other institutions have the right to do so but let me say that the insecurity is everywhere. So, I don’t advise any student to make a transfer.
“All our kidnapped students were rescued; we gave them free registration and asked all the deans to prepare continued assessments for them.”
The vice-chancellor alleged that there were some persons working to frustrate the university. He, however, vowed that the university would continue to thrive.
He said, “Some people don’t want us to exist but with the power of God we shall exist.
“I am calling on both the Zamfara State and the Federal Government to come to our aid.
“On our own part, we are securing a perimeter fence although the work is too slow.”
Muazu said the university had recorded a lot of landmark achievements under his watch. He said, “Under my stewardship as the third substantive vice-chancellor of this university, we have recorded modest achievements.
“On staff training and development. Our efforts led to the lifting of the earlier suspension of the fund’s embargo on the university.
“It is on record that about 95 per cent of the applications for research funding by staff of the university were approved and supported by the TETfund.
“On accreditation of academic programmes, all the remaining 15 academic programmes bearing interim accreditation were granted full accreditation by the National Universities Commission.
“Through our concerted efforts with my management, we were able to commence postgraduate studies at the university.
“On academic scholarship, a total of 190 staff of the university have benefited from TETfund interventions, ranging from the Institution Based Research to Academic Manuscript Book, Academic Research Journal, National Research Fund, and FUGUS Research Centre had sponsored many staff for training through workshop attendance.
“On infrastructure, I wish to state that, the following achievements were recorded: “We got the assessment of the TETfund Zonal Intervention in 2020 restored having lost the 2017, 2018 and 2019 allocations.
“We recorded progress in completing nine projects namely: New ICT Centre, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Social Sciences, Directorate of Academic Planning Building, Lecture Rooms Block ‘D’, Lecture Rooms Block ‘E’, Department of Biological Sciences, Research Laboratories, Visiting Scholars’ Transit Camp.
“We awarded and completed four new projects namely: Entrepreneurship Development Centre, 300-capacity lecture theater for the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science; Science Education Building, and Faculty of Science Extension.
‘’We secured constituency projects from Sustainable Development Goals, namely: construction of new University Medical Centre, installation of Solar Powered Street Lights (200-Nos) and the construction of 2-Boreholes and Overhead Tanks.”
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