The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU),
Zaria on Tuesday disclosed it resolve to
migrate from an undergraduate
university to postgraduate university
inline with global academic practices.
The ABU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ibrahim
Garba stated this while declaring open
the 2018 School of Postgraduate
Studies Biennial National Conference
held at the university’s main campus,
Samaru-Zaria, Kaduna State.
The theme of the conference is:
“Paradigm Shift in Postgraduate Studies
for Service and Development.”
He said: “What we are facing today and
what we set for ourselves may sound
revolutionary. It may sound unattainable
but I think if you are one of us that
believe, then nothing is impossible.
“That’s why if you begin to believe that
some certain things are impossible, then
you will remain where you are. This
university has gone through removable
adjustments in recent times.
“Some of the things that we did, believe
me sometimes I wonder how God
Almighty was merciful to us to have
been able to succeed in dislodging or
disrupting some of things we have been
doing for decades without any
commensurate benefits,” he said.
According to him, some of the changes
came with all the cooperation of both
staff and students including those that
were rigid but gradually agreed to
transforming the character and
landscape of the university.
“You remember, three years ago or so,
when we started to attempt to readjust
and restructure the university, of course,
we are mindful that new things are very
difficult to absorb.
“But I remember very well how we starts
with splitting of Faculty of Science into
today’s Physical and Life Sciences
Faculties, then came the creation of the
ABU College of Health Sciences from
one single faculty to four faculties.
“About same time, the more difficult
one, we sent our bulldozer to Kongo
campus, I attempted to reconfigure
Kongo Business Administration with all
so much emotions,” he noted.
He recalled that people had taken the
management down memory lane of the
then Premier of Northern Nigeria who
established the place, adding that “the
question is do we remain where we
are?”
Garba noted that if the Premier had
survived, today, he would have done
things differently and brought new things
into light.
“It reached a point where Kongo had
been chocked up, there is no space for
expansion. Kongo had lived 70 years or
so. In the next 70 years how would it
look like? Or do you think life will begin
and end with us? It is not possible,” he
said.
The VC said that was how the
management succeeded in transferring
and creating the new ABU Business
School, adding that it was expanded
from two departments (Business
Administration and Public
Administration) to six departments.
“Business Administration alone had
been broken into four different
departments. All these that we are
doing translated into more imperatives,
you cannot have one and break it into
four and expect that many things that
will come after will remain one, it is
impossible.
“These are some of the things we have
done, we have also created new
programmes particularly in the Faculty
of Engineering, so many programmes
have come on stream.
“All these programmes that are coming
at the undergraduate level, give them
four, five years, they will begin to require
post graduate expansion.
“Remember also, the Distance Learning
Centre has come on stream now and
well grounded and runs both post
graduate and undergraduate courses
and its still expanding to create more
access to our teeming candidates,” he
said.
The VC said ABU remained number one
in Nigeria in all ramification, adding that
the expectation on the university was
enormous in terms of capacity to take
both undergraduates and
postgraduates.
Garba said the university had
internationalised its education, adding
that 45 students were recently sent to
China for dual degree programmes
between ABU and such universities.
Earlier in his welcome speech, the Dean,
School of Post Graduate Studies, Prof.
Sadiq Zubairu-Abubakar had said the PG
School underscored the importance of
conforming with the global best
practices in the delivery of postgraduate
studies in university system.
“Thus, we sought to obtain approval to
include in the regulations governing the
postgraduate studies in this university
that PG students must publish scientific
articles from their theses and
dissertation to enable them graduate.
“To facilitate easy attainment of this
requirement, the SPGS delayed the
effective date for the commencement of
the policy and further sought and
obtained approval of the university
administration to introduce: 1. Biennial
Conference in 2016 and 2.
establishment of 2 SPGS journals in
sciences and humanities.”
The dean said the four-day event
promised exiting activities relevant for
the audience and central for the future
growth of the university.
Zubairu-Abubakar said the university
administration had given approval for
major restructuring and reforms of the
SPGS to enable the school introduce
and sustain the needed changes in PG
studies.
He identified the needed changes to
include; physical restructuring of school
to create conducive learning
environment and improve delivery and
review of the regulations to enhance
quality and improve graduation rate.
Others, according to him, are;
deployment of ICT tools to improve
effectiveness and efficiency of school
operations and development of new
portal, website and established call/help
centre for enhanced visibility and
effective administration of PG
programmes.
Over 500 participants from across the
country are attending the conference.
(NAN)

https://newsdiaryonline.com/abu-migrate-undergraduate-postgraduate-university-vc/amp/

That will be a very good development. Hope all other first generation universities in the country can follow suit.

atiku4President:
That will be a very good development. Hope all other first generation universities in the country can follow suit.

How is it a good development

Olohunjedalo:

How is it a good development

Postgraduate education will encourage more meaningful researches and it comes with a lot of international fundings in form of grants and equipment. It is when you want to do a serious PG studies that you will know how backward we are as a country. No light and equipment to run the simplest of experiment.

Anything they want

Allah ya kara lapia Baba VC.. My mentor, My role model, my Father... This man hails the same village from my Dad, he's my dad class mate in secondary school.. My Dad is currently with him now