By Hassan Ishaku, Jalingo.
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 who visited the university recently takes a look at the gains of the institution under the leadership of Professor Abubakar Kundiri.
When the name of Professor A.M. Kundiri was flashed as the new Vice Chancellor of Federal University Wukari in March, 2016, little did the university and the host communities know that a serial achiever had been unleashed on them. The little they heard about him gave them a ray of hope that he was going to build on what his successor was able to achieve.
little they heard about him gave them a ray of hope that he was going to build on what his successor was able to achieve. They learnt that he started his academic career at the University of Maiduguri as a Graduate Assistant where he rose through the ranks to become a Professor at a relatively young age. He held several administrative positions and he became the longest serving Dean of Student Affairs in the University. He moved to the Federal University Gombe when it was established and became the pioneer Dean of Student Affairs in the new University. As he was completing his tenure, he was selected as the next Vice Chancellor for the university by the Governing Council after passing the rigorous interview. He was waiting for his letter when President Muhammadu Buhari announced him as the new Vice Chancellor for the Federal University Wukari against all expectations.
As soon as he took over the mantle of leadership he gave marching orders to Graduate Assistants to go for further studies and other ranks that were yet to bag their doctorate degrees.
The type of staff development put in place in Federal University Wukari is an unprecedented one.
The only thing you need to enjoy training is your admission letter. As a result of this staff development approach, the university can boast of many Masters Degree holders as well as holders of Doctoral degrees.
This is also extended to non-teaching staff in the university. It is as result of this that many of the non-teaching staff that came back with good results and are interested in academics have been converted to academic staff.
“A lectureral who pleaded anonymity said at the time Professor Kundiri came, we had barely up to 8 Professors as no one had been promoted appropriately. At the moment, there are many Professors and other ranks as result of the harvests of promotions engendered by Professor A.M. Kundiri when he came.
You don’t enjoy promotion only if you are not qualified. He believes that there is no reason to deny any hardworking qualified staff his or her promotion on some flimsy grounds. Many staff of the university can attest to these facts. Very few members of staff, if any, can say they have not enjoyed any of Professor A.M. Kundiri’s goodies”, he said.
Professor A.M. Kundiri met three faculties when he came. He is leaving about seven behind. He inherited Faculties of Agriculture and Life Science, Humanities, Management and Social Sciences and Pure and Applied Sciences. He is now bequeathing Faculties of Education, Engineering, Law and Medicine. This is a wonderful feat within four years! The staff primary and secondary schools have been transformed with some sate of the arts facilities.
The 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.
Isa Abubakar, 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,” She 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.
Recently the projects were commissioned by the leadership of the National universities commission NUC.
Some of the commissioned projects include buildings for all faculties; academic staff offices; academic staff quarters; students hostels; university library, information and communication center; laboratories; convocation square; sports facilities; municipal facilities such as water, roads, electricals and other installations among many others.
A resident Ismail Agyu while speaking to to BusinessDay in Wukari said from 2016 till date, the University under Prof Kundiri witnessed tremendous progress.
He expressed satisfaction that Kundiri has make a good turn around in the history of the University that make it a first class institution.
He maintained that his achievements has not only taken the University to the international map but also earned the University national and international recognitions.
“In the past, nobody knew nor hear about Federal University Wukari, but with the coming of Kundiri, Federal University Wukari today is a household name. Our women and children buy and sell within the university environment and this has reduce criminality ” he noted.
Another resident of Wukari, Paul Bawuno said Kundiri from 2016 till date has completed 30 projects worth billions of naira.
“Within the period of his first tenure that ends in February 2021, Prof Kundiri has transformed this University that today we are proud of him.
“When he took over the Institution in 2016, the University was lagging behind in infrastructure as well as accreditation of course.
Today my son who is a student of the university told me that over 27 courses have been accredited in the institution” he said.
According him, Kundiri deserved to be giving an award of best performing Vice Chancellor in Nigeria.
The Aku Uka of Wukari and the Wukari local government chairman have at different forals eulogies Professor Kundiri for his pragmatic achievements.sult of this that many of the non-teaching staff that came back with good results and are interested in academics have been converted to academic staff.
“A lectureral who pleaded anonymity said at the time Professor Kundiri came, we had barely up to 8 Professors as no one had been promoted appropriately. At the moment, there are many Professors and other ranks as result of the harvests of promotions engendered by Professor A.M. Kundiri when he came.
You don’t enjoy promotion only if you are not qualified. He believes that there is no reason to deny any hardworking qualified staff his or her promotion on some flimsy grounds. Many staff of the university can attest to these facts. Very few members of staff, if any, can say they have not enjoyed any of Professor A.M. Kundiri’s goodies”, he said.
Professor A.M. Kundiri met three faculties when he came. He is leaving about seven behind. He inherited Faculties of Agriculture and Life Science, Humanities, Management and Social Sciences and Pure and Applied Sciences. He is now bequeathing Faculties of Education, Engineering, Law and Medicine. This is a wonderful feat within four years! The staff primary and secondary schools have been transformed with some sate of the arts facilities.
The 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.
Isa Abubakar, 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,” She 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.
Recently the projects were commissioned by the leadership of the National universities commission NUC.
Some of the commissioned projects include buildings for all faculties; academic staff offices; academic staff quarters; students hostels; university library, information and communication center; laboratories; convocation square; sports facilities; municipal facilities such as water, roads, electricals and other installations among many others.
A resident Ismail Agyu while speaking to to BusinessDay in Wukari said from 2016 till date, the University under Prof Kundiri witnessed tremendous progress.
He expressed satisfaction that Kundiri has make a good turn around in the history of the University that make it a first class institution.
He maintained that his achievements has not only taken the University to the international map but also earned the University national and international recognitions.
“In the past, nobody knew nor hear about Federal University Wukari, but with the coming of Kundiri, Federal University Wukari today is a household name. Our women and children buy and sell within the university environment and this has reduce criminality ” he noted.
Another resident of Wukari, Paul Bawuno said Kundiri from 2016 till date has completed 30 projects worth billions of naira.
“Within the period of his first tenure that ends in February 2021, Prof Kundiri has transformed this University that today we are proud of him.
“When he took over the Institution in 2016, the University was lagging behind in infrastructure as well as accreditation of course.
Today my son who is a student of the university told me that over 27 courses have been accredited in the institution” he said.
According him, Kundiri deserved to be giving an award of best performing Vice Chancellor in Nigeria.
The Aku Uka of Wukari and the Wukari local government chairman have at different forals eulogies Professor Kundiri for his pragmatic achievements.
