Animals, weeds take over Federal University Wukari campus

The Federadl University Wukari is one of the six universities, which was approved last year by the federal government to be established in the six geopolitical zones of the country.   The campus looked dirty and deserted, except for some few polytechnic students lurking around, and some applicants, with brown envelopes tucked under their arms, […]

The Federadl University Wukari is one of the six universities, which was approved last year by the federal government to be established in the six geopolitical zones of the country.

 

The campus looked dirty and deserted, except for some few polytechnic students lurking around, and some applicants, with brown envelopes tucked under their arms, trooped in to submit applications for vacancies recently announced in the university.

An applicant seeking for admission to read Economics at the university, Audu Paul Akenze expressed frustration for having to wait anxiously for the commencement of academic programmes. The uncertainty of when the first academic session will start is the most frustrating thing Akenzie has ever experienced but he conceded that there is nothing he can do.

“We can only wait anxiously for the commencement of the first academic session at the university. We don’t have naything to do than to wait,” he said.

Asked how he would feel if he were admitted and would have to start his university education in a bleak environment such as the campus is now, he said: “I am not in a position to say the university structures will be renovated, but they should be renovated before classes start.”

A student of the state polytechnic which has been moved to Suntai, Bali local government because of the university expressed disappointment at the state of infrastructure at the campus. The student who preferred to remain anonymous said infrastructure at the campus has continued to deteriorate, especially now that the polytechnic has been relocated and the place seemed abandoned.

“One would have expected that by now the renovation of these old structures would start and skeletal services will begin to show that a university is taking off here but nothing seems to be happening. I wonder if the university will actually take off,” he said.

Although there is a white signpost with bold black and green inscriptions showing the full address of the university, the tall grasses, almost submerging it raised questions on whether it will start the 2011/2012 session as the federal government had promised.

While inspecting the site of the university in November 2010, then Minister of State for Education, Kenneth Olorogun said: “My mission here is very simple,it is to tell you the people of Taraba state that your state is a beneficiary of one of the six federal universities recently approved by the Federal   Executive Council .

“The other thing is to see and take over the site for the project which is expected to commence immediately considering the fact that academic programmes are expected to start in September, 2011.

Most recently, the Minister of Education, Professor Ruquyyatu Ahmed Rufai, while presenting the Vice Chancellor of the university to the state government, solicited support from the government and people of Taraba to enable the university take off smoothly by September. The governor of Taraba State, Danbaba D. Suntai announced a donation of a hilux pick up van as project vehicle as part of the state support for the start of the university.

The university however, has a very bright vision. Information on its official website has revealed that it wants “To be a leader among world class public universities by: advancing knowledge through high quality educational experiences for our students; encouraging and fostering entrepreneurship; conducting leading edge research and scholarship in hydro-energy and bio-energy, food technology and biotechnology.”

It also has a well laid out mission and the mission statement on its website reads thus: “As a student centered and community engaged institution, our mission is to: provide an enabling environment that enhances intellectual growth, a strong commitment to academic excellence, integrity and entrepreneurship.”

Our correspondent gathered that a25-year-rolling-plan has been mapped out for the full development of its academic structure. Within the 25 years after its establishment, the university shall have 11 faculties, including a College of Health Sciences, School of Postgraduate Studies, with 73 departments and 286 academic programmes both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Five stages of the development of the university were identified, with each stage having a five year plan. Stage one would mark the take off of the university from 2011/2012 session with four faculties of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Humanities, Management and Social Sciences; and Pure and Applied Sciences.

According to information available to Sunday Trust, eight faculties would be developed in the second phase of the development, which will span 2016/2017 to 2020/2021 sessions.  Then, the faculty of Humanities, Management and Social Sciences will be split into three, each becoming an independent faculty, and the college of Health Sciences and School of Post Graduate Studies will be added too.

“The growth and development of the faculties, departments and programmes of the university are planned to ensure that a good balance is attained from stage to stage,” a statement on the university website read.

Efforts to contact the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Geoffrey Okogbaa, or the Registrar, I. A. Jalingo to comment on the situation at the campus proved abortive as neither of their offices was located on the campus. Our correspondent was told that they operate temporarily at Elim Top Suites (Annex) at Wukari GRA but when he visited the hotel, the two principal officers of the university were said to have travelled to Abuja and their uncooperative staff refused to give their (VC and Registrar) mobile phone numbers.

There are over 109 universities in Nigeria but the quality of their graduates has been an issue of concern to employers of labour, educationists and public commentators. And only six Nigerian universities, namely: University of Ibadan, University of Ilorin, University of Benin, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and University of Jos have made the list of world university rankings of 100 top African universities.

Now concerns will be raised about the university attaining its goals as set out by the vision and mission statements, especially with its stuttering start.