‘I am still committed to making Benue Varsity first choice in Nigeria’
The fifth vice chancellor of Benue State University, Makurdi, Moses Kembe, recently addressed the journalists on his stewardship in the last four years. BENJAMIN AGESAN, Businessday correspondent, was at the session which held at the University Senate cha
May we know some of your achievements in the last four years?
I welcome you all to this press briefing to mark the fourth year of my 5-year tenure as vice Chancellor of our dear Benue State University, Makurdi. Having gone this far in the office of the vice Chancellor, I deem it fit, like l have done in previous years, to give an update of how the University has fared under my tenure. I had, while canvassing for the office of the Vice Chancellor, promised to deploy two innovative approaches in the admission of the University that would improve its standing among other universities here and elsewhere. These were:
Accreditation of programmes: The University has in the past four years improved on its standing on programme accreditation. In 2018, the University presented 37 programmes for accreditation; out of this number, 35 had full accreditation while only two had interim accreditation. It is worthy of note that, the Faculty of Law got full accreditation for the first time since its establishment over 20 years ago. Equally worth of note is the international accreditation of M.SC and PHD Food Chemistry and M.SC Post Harvest Food Engineering. Similarly, the MBBS also got full accreditation of five years which are still running. Establishment/ Splitting of Department and Mounting of New Academic Programmes: Department of Nursing science and department of Biochemistry were established while department of Religion and Philosophy was split into Department of Religion & Cultural Studies and Department of Philosophy. Department of Curriculum & Teaching was split into Department of Science Education and Department of Arts and Social Science Education. Also, new academic programmes were mounted, these include: B.SC Nursing Science, B.SC Biochemistry, B.SC (Ed) Social Studies, B.A (Ed) Religious Studies, Bachelor of Urban & Religious Planning and B.SC Plant Science and Biotechnology. The B.SC Radiography and Radiation Science will come on board as soon as Senate of the University approves. Series of workshops have been held for Examination officers and others involved in the handling of examinations for transparent conduct and handling of examinations. Arising from the immediate point above, students’ results do not suffer unnecessary delay before they are released. Code of Conduct for staff and students has been imbibed, including the dress code recently introduced on the campus.
Other salient milestones include the University management award of scholarship to outstanding students in all faculties in 2016. A special ceremony was held with parents and guardians of the students in their honour, Governing council also awarded scholarships to indigent students since 2016. Nomination of the University by the National Universities Commission for drafting of blueprint for Nigeria’s 2050 projection and Senate approval for commencement of part-time degree and certificate programmes, May, 2016. The programme has since commenced with 1st batch who were matriculated this year among many others.
Adding to the salient achievements is the CEFTER awarded contract for the production of Yoghurt for the Federal Government school feeding programme as well as the World Bank extended grant to CEFTER by four children (4) years with a monetary value of 4million dollars. Also worth noting is the appointment of three (3) new principal officers: Professor Linus Saalu as provost, College of Health Sciences, Dr. Mfaga Modom as registrar and Mr. Orinya Onazi as bursar since it is not easy to appoint principal officers in an institution without crisis.
How many projects are fully executed and how many are on-going?
For lack of time, let me be direct here. A total number of eleven ( 11) projects were completed and seven ( 7) are on-going, these are: water treatment plant and its concrete road, 560 Bed space students hostels, students social centre, Biology, Vocational and Technical Education Building, Faculty of Arts extension building, Faculty of Environmental Science building, Chemistry/physics Building and Department of Economics building as the completed projects.
The on- going projects are construction of the Faculty of Science building, construction of the Faculty of Education building, construction of the Health and Counseling Development centre building, construction of the Research Development and Innovation Centre building, construction of Performing Arts Theater building, construction/ rehabilitation of Lavatories and facilities in Academic areas and Renovation of ETF 2007 Lecture Theater.
World Bank funded projects are construction of CEFTER postgraduate centre, remodeling of CEFTER postgraduate hostels and extension of Yoghurt production unit for CEFTER.
What challenges have you encountered within this period?
In spite of the above achievements, the institution is facing one challenge or the other and I consider it worthwhile, acquainting you with just three (3) major challenges: Inadequate funding,
as every other organisation, the institution is lacking adequate funds for her to execute more projects and complete the already started ones. Irregular payment of user charges by students, the inability of parents or guardians to pay their children or wards’ school fees as and when due, has been a very big challenge. We all know that running a University requires funds. Many parents or guardians only do the needful when their children or wards are being sent out of examinations. Lastly, lack of private interventions in the development of infrastructure on campus through PPP and BOT despite efforts on the part of the University management in this regard; The University management always get in touch with PPP and BOT in time of need but they have not been responding the way we want and this has been affecting the development of the University.
What will the future of the University look like within the remaining one year of your tenure as the vice Chancellor? I would like to assure you that as I step into the final year of my tenure, I will continue to optimise the human and material resources of the University to deliver on my very vision for the institution as earlier stated so that at the end, I will be leaving a university that parades global best practices with the vision of being the University of First Choice in Nigeria and Africa and among the top 200 in the world.
What is your message to the state government, principal OFFICERS, MEMBERS OF THE SENate, staff and students of the University?
I first of all want to express my heartfelt appreciation to Benue State Governor and the University Visitor, Samuel Ortom who has chosen me, the least-privileged like King David and decided I should steer the affairs of this great institution. We owe it a duty to appreciate the World Bank for their funded projects in the university. I wish to thank the governing council, principal officers, members of Senate of the University and all other blocs in the University for their co-operation and support so far and for helping us to drive the mission, vision and mandate of the University.
For the staff and students of our esteemed university, I advise students to shun educational vices such as, examination malpractice, cultism, drug abuse, homosexuallism, alcoholism, among others for any student being caught in any of these will be duly punished. To the staff, I urge them to maintain that spirit of oneness so that the University can be taken to its greater heights.