RSITIE VE S C NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES COMMISSION NI O U M L M A I S N S O I I I O O T T N N A A N N T H C E OU VI GHT AND SER MONDAY A AP UPBULBICLAITCIOANT IOFN T OHEF OTFHFEIC OEF OFFIC TEH EO EFX TEHCUET EIVXEE SCEUCTRIEVTEA SRYECRETARY www.nuc.edu.ng th 0795-3089 29 March 2021 Vol. 16 No. 11 NUC Recognises Three More State Varsities for Delta he Executive Governor of the State, Dr. Ifeanyi were the College of Education, the 51st, 52nd and 53rd State Okowa, last Friday received Agbor, now University of Delta, universities respectively in T Agbor; Delta State Polytechnic Nigeria, the Executive Secretary the certificates of recognition for three additional universities for Ozoro, now Delta State University said that the Commission, as a Delta State from the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abubakar Adamu Rasheed, mni, MFR, FNAL, the universities are: University of Delta, Agbor; Delta University of Science and Technology, Ozoro and Dennis Osadebe University, Asaba. This followed the passage of the executive bill for the upgrading of three existing state institutions by the State House of Assembly on Monday 22nd February, 2021, to full-fledged universities and the fulfillment of other conditions for The Executive Governor of Delta State, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa receiving the Certificate of Recognition their recognition, including of one of the universities from Executive Secretary, NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed submission of strategic documents such as the University Law, of Science and Technology, Ozoro matter of Policy, had continued Strategic Plan, Master Plan, and the Asaba Branch campus of to encourage and support all Geophysical survey and Academic Delta State University, now Dennis individuals and Government at Briefs. Osadebe University, Asaba. all levels, to invest in higher education in other to transform The three upgraded institutions Presenting the letters of the sector into a veritable engine. recognition of the universities as in this edition Jude Sammani is the New VC Wukari Safe School Declaration: Pg. 5 NUC ES Visits CAC Registrar Pg. 6 Pg. 7 Conference Preparations on Top Gear EDITORIAL BOARD: Ibrahim Usman Yakasai (Chairman), Mrs. Offiong U. Edor (Editor), Ogbonnaya Okoronkwo, Francis Azu, Udey Felix, Muhammad Bukhari Musa, Aja-Nwachukwu Samuel, Sadiq Abubakar Enquiries: [email protected] 29th March, 2021 Vol. 16 No. 11 He described the Governor as a Federal University of Petroleum a visitation team alongside with strategic planner and someone very Resources, Effurun and the the Ministry of Transportation, meticulous, which he said was Maritime University, Okerenkoko, to understudy the peculiar evident in his painstaking approach and adherence to the spirit and letter of the o While urging the state to specialize in innovative education by providing those cutting-edge programmes that would bring development not only to Delta but Nigeria, he noted that three universities in a day could be misunderstood by undiscerning critics. He acknowledged that the quest for more universities in Delta was Gov. Okowa submitting the Academic Brief of one of the Universities not misplaced as the state was though both with small faculties challenge of the Maritime blessed in the area of education compared to the likes of University with a bid to enable it endowment with many primary UNIBEN, ABU or UNN. start seamlessly without further and secondary schools. This, he hitches. said, also made it occupied a According to him, NUC had spent frontline position in terms of time in the last two years trying to Prof. Rasheed advised the number of students seeking for give both institutions the necessary governor to ensure that the new university education in the map of impetus to take-off properly, universities satisfied not only the indigenes of the state, but the entire country and beyond so as to maintain the concept of the universality of university education. Prof. Rasheed said Nigeria have about 99 Private Universities (with the recent approval of 20 new ones), all who are not able to provide more than 7 per cent of available spaces compared to public universities. This, according to him, still posed a His Excellency, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa (middle); Prof. Rasheed (right) and great problem of inadequate Prof. Suleiman Bogoro (left) access to university education. the Nigerian University System especially the Maritime University. The resultant poverty in the land (NUS). He stated that two federal He informed the Governor that made it difficult for many families universities had been situated in the the Commission would soon send to pay the fees or send their state to ameliorate the challenge, children to private universities, MONDAY BULLETIN | A Publication Of The Office Of The Executive Secretary Page 02 29th March, 2021 Vol. 16 No. 11 He explained that with the arguing that the challenge could be commenced degree programmes absorption of more students in s o l v e d w i t h a c t i v e s t a t e in affiliation with Delta State the new universities, the huge government’s investment in the University, Abraka, with the resources committed by the state sector. support of NUC. would be better managed in the best interest of Delta’s tertiary He congratulated the Governor for Governor Okowa said while not education system. the fit achieved in establishing the undermining the place of new institution, and acknowledged that his contributions to the development of higher education were laudable. In his remarks, Dr. Okowa, thanked the NUC Executive Secretary, for the giant stride in repositioning university education in the country, noting that all Delta indigenes and stakeholders welcomed the idea of the conversion of the institutions to full-fledged State universities. He said the decision became necessary following drastic drop in DES (Admin), Mr. Chris Maiyaki and DPA, Ibrahim Usman Yakasai with other invited guests the rate of enrolment and demand polytechnic education which the Among the rolled out plans in the for courses offered in Colleges of state would continue to encourage fund management include the Education and Polytechnics, a joint utilization of scarce resources for subscription to data bases for e-libraries by the three universities and collaborative researches and production of quality human capital needed for the universities development. The Governor further stressed that his government decided to upgrade the three institutions after realising that the present Delta State University, Abraka had reached its full carrying capacity with its inability to admit DES (Acad), Dr. Suleiman Ramon-Yusuf; DAP, Dr. Biodun Saliu; DA, Dr. Maryam Sali; DEPU, not more than 5,000 students Mrs. Constance Goddy Nnadi and DHR, Mr. B.C Odum yearly since the year 2018 and that decade ago. He stressed that the in two other existing campuses, only in 2019, about 25, 690 scenario of students’ preference but that resources were being students chose it, but only paltry for university degree was more under utilized due to low 4,854 candidates got admission visible in 2007, when the State enrolment. out of 22, 450 that were College of Education, Agbor, eminently qualified. MONDAY BULLETIN | A Publication Of The Office Of The Executive Secretary Page 03 29th March, 2021 Vol. 16 No. 11 He said “We are here today, because He disclosed that Delta had over 1, it is our firm belief that the three 100 primary schools and 500 providing access, add value to the state universities will change the public secondary schools, with students, the host Community face of our educational system, double this numbers ran by private and the state at large. One of the training our graduate to become proprietors of schools. All of ca rd i n a l ch a rg es to th e self-reliant, job creators and not job them were churning out SSCE institutions was to provide seekers. graduates yearly, thus increasing solutions to the myriad of the number of admission seekers. environmental challenges and “Adding, it will stem the tide of degradation suffered in the those qualified candidates rushing He stated that the upgrade of the localities, he added. to other climes with mushroom three institutions all constituted universities (such as in Benin the same vehicle in the state’s He stressed that expanding Republic) in search of education education quadrangle responsible access to university education for and paying so much for quality not for driving the knowledge young Nigerians to achieve their comparable to those of Nigerian economy agenda of Delta aspirations had become a universities. Government, especially in Science necessity that should attract the Front row L-R: Bogoro, Okowa, Rasheed in a group photo “For us we cannot afford to allow and Technology development. attention of government at all this to continue, in situation where With its vintage position as an oil levels. He promised to ensure our students continue to receive producing state, he expressed adequate funding for the new such sub-standard degrees is enthusiasm that oil companies universities, while also adhering unacceptable and certainly would strive to contribute to the strictly to the guidelines of the counterproductive. Nigerian people generation and utilisation of NUC. have a long standing history of research and development (R&D) pride in receiving quality university outcome in the universities, as part In the Governor’s entourage degrees. At the level of families, of their Corporate Social were former NUC’s Board community and states, we have Responsibilities (CSR). member, Ambassador Godwin always worked to ensure that we Echejile; Member of the House have best quality of education,” he The state, he said, had no doubt of Representatives, Hon. said. that the universities would beyond C h u k w u d i C h u k u ; H o n .