Committee Concludes with Selection of Four Volunteer Professors for Key Roles in University Administration
By Jabiru Hassan, Kano
Nigeria-Gambia relations have strengthened as four Nigerian professors with engineering backgrounds are set to assume leadership positions at the University of Applied Science, Engineering and Technology (USET) in The Gambia.
This development follows a report submitted by a taskforce set up by the Gambian Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science, and Technology, in collaboration with the Governing Council of USET.
The Ministry has formally requested endorsement from Nigeria for the appointment of these professors. A letter addressed to the Nigerian Mission in Kanifing, and copied to the Director General of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (NTAC), Rt. Hon. Yusuf Buba Yakub, was received on Friday in Abuja.
The selected professors were chosen after a rigorous process, filling vacancies created by the upcoming end of the tenure of the current Vice Chancellor, Prof. Samuel Owusu-Ofori, whose term concludes on September 30 this year.
The appointed professors and their positions are as follows:
i. Vice Chancellor – Nazmat Surajudeen-Bakinde
ii. Vice Chancellor (Academics) – Prof. Ado Yusuf Abdulfatah
iii. Director of Research and Grants – Prof. Akinlabi Oyetunji
iv. Director of Academic Planning and Quality Assurance – Prof. David Terfa Gundu
These appointments are part of a broader initiative by NTAC under the 24-month Nigerian Technical Aid Corps scheme, aimed at providing technical assistance to The Gambia.
The Gambian government’s decision to appoint these Nigerian professors highlights the ongoing partnership between the two nations in education and technical cooperation.
It is worth noting that The Gambia remains one of the foremost and largest subscribers to Nigeria’s Technical Aid Corps (TAC) scheme, having received over 12,000 Nigerian volunteers, including engineers, lawyers, and medical professionals, since the establishment of the NTAC in 1987. This was confirmed in a press release issued by Nkem Anyata-Lafia, Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the NTAC Director General.
