By Segun Awofadeji
Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya has promised that his administration will continue to work in partnership with the Federal University of Kashere (FUK), so that the institution can keep providing quality education for the people of the state.
He stated this recently, when he granted audience to the joint delegation of FUK management and the Presidential Visitation Panel to the university, led by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Umar Pate, at the Council Chamber of the Government House.
The governor assured the visitors that the state government under his leadership will continue to support the university based on the fact that the institution does not only provide tertiary education to the people of the state, but also employment to its citizens.
He said the presence of the university in Gombe has helped in reducing the risk attached to distant travels in search of tertiary education and has ultimately provided less financial obligations on parents who will rather patronise the institution than send their children far away to acquire university education.
On some of the challenges confronting the university, Yahaya assured the management of the institution that his administration will do everything necessary to ensure that the institution is allocated additional land for expansion.
On the request by the university to have a link with the Leventis Foundation in Tumu for its sugar research programme, the governor said the initiative was in line with his administration’s Agricultural Entrepreneurship Training Centre, adding that the State government will look at the best way possible to collaborate for optimal results.
He said despite the paucity of funds being experienced by the state, in the midst of many demands, his administration will remain resolute towards supporting the university, as what goes into the institution will eventually trickle down to the people of the state.
In his remarks, Professor Umaru Pate said they were at the Government House to officially introduce the new management of the university and to intimate the governor on the vision of the new team going forward.
This vision as explained by Pate is to develop the university and to consolidate on past achievements in the institution, saying that anything less will not be accepted by his leadership.
He added that as a young institution, FUK is desirous of development where its certificate can be respected, research work noted and its scholars acknowledged any where in the world.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Presidential Visitation Panel to FUK, Dr. Mac John Nwobiala said the six-man panel will appraise the performance of the institution in terms of leadership qualities of the vice-chancellor, principal officers and governing councils with a view to ascertaining the extent to which they have fulfilled their mandate for public good during the period under review spanning 10 years.
