By Chris Agabi
The Minister of Transportation, Senator Sa’id Alkali, has explained how he pushed for the Federal University of Transportation, Daura, Katsina State to commence academic activities in 2024 despite teething problems.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday after inspection facilities at the University said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Joint Administration, Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the National Universities Commission (NUC) provided unprecedented support.
Explaining the efforts he made for the university to commence academic programmes he said “The Federal University of Transportation Daura was constructed by CCECC Nigeria Limited as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility. So when I came I met a very beautiful edifice but unfortunately, only a Vice Chancellor was appointed.
And you know in university you need four principal staff to take off. The Vice Chancellor, the Bursar, the librarian and the Registrar.”
“So what I did was to approach National Universities Commission (NUC), to appoint a mentor university for us so that they will be able to start admissions against 2023/2024 academic year. The NUC appointed Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria to mentor the Federal University of Transportation Daura.”
“Another change we had then, was that the university was not captured in the federal government 2023 appropriation year, so I approached CCECC to raise some funding for us as quick means, so that it will give us support to start academic against 2023/2024.”
“Graciously President Ahmed Bola Tinubu approved the university to be listed in the 2024 appropriation.”
“Having said that, I equally contacted NUC to come and do accreditation so that we will be able to commence our academic activities. But another challenge we had then, JAMB had closed its portal for admission so we had to approach JAMB to open a portal for change of institutions, graciously students have applied for change of institutions from other institutions they had applied earlier on, to Federal University of Transportation, Daura.”
“After the accreditation, the school admitted over 500 students, enlisted in over 14 disciplines. So we have started the admission and we outsource lecturers on visiting basis.”
“So, here we are, you can see lectures have commenced. We have gone round, you see the lecture theaters, I am impressed and I thank CCECC for this laudable gesture. I thank the Ministry of education and the NUC, and of course, I give a very big kudos to the Vice Chancellor, for his performance” he recounted.
