The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Dutse (FUD) in Jigawa State, Prof Fatima Batulu Muktar, has called for the immediate release of the N208 billion President Muhammadu Buhari approved for public universities.
The vice chancellor, who addressed reporters yesterday in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, urged the Federal Ministry of Finance to release the fund to enable beneficiary universities develop their academic activities.
Prof Muktar hailed the President for his concern about the conditions of public universities, adding that the money would improve academic activities and aid development.
She said: “I’m appealing to the government for the immediate release of the fund. We will judiciously use it in improving the academic activities to provide an atmosphere that is conducive for research, teaching and learning for faster development of the country.”
The vice chancellor also urged the Presidency to provide funds and upgrade the university’s teaching hospital in Dutse to enable the university to take it over from the state government.
She said: “Since the donation of the facility over five years ago and with the commencement of Medicine programme, we partly took over the hospital.
“Responses and actions from the Presidency to upgrade the hospital are delaying us from fully taking over the hospital. Let me seize this opportunity and appeal to the Presidency to upgrade the institution to academic standard and give opportunity to medical students.”
On the university’s upcoming convocation, Prof Muktar said: “In all, 558 students are graduating: 14 have made First-Class, 222 obtained Second Class Upper, 222 obtained Second Class Lower while 70 got Third Class.
