The Federal University of Transportation, located in Daura, Katsina State, officially matriculated its first set of pioneer students, totaling 478, for the 2023/2024 academic session.
The ceremony took place at the university’s permanent site on Saturday, marking a significant milestone for the institution and its stakeholders.
The event was graced by the presence of distinguished guests, including the Minister of Transportation, Senator Ahmed Alkali, who delivered an inspiring address to the new students.
He encouraged them to seize the unique opportunity presented by the university to acquire knowledge diligently, emphasizing the role they will play in contributing to the development of Nigeria’s economy.
Senator Alkali expressed gratitude to the people and government of Katsina State for their warm hospitality and unwavering support for the university.
He highlighted their commitment to ensuring the effective operation of the institution, particularly during its critical period of physical development.
“I want to personally commend the culture of consolidating previous federal and state governments’ commitments towards the university by Governor Dikko Radda. After our inauguration as ministers on August 21, 2023, I led a team and visited the university in October 2023.
It was only the vice chancellor that was on ground without a single academic or support staff. Notwithstanding this apparent challenge, I made a declaration of ensuring the take off of the University for 2023/2024 academic session.
In furtherance of this commitment, all efforts, processes, networks, contacts and collaborations were utilized, which secured the appointment of the mentor university and other principal officers,” he stated.
The minister also shared the successful efforts to place the university on the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) portal, which facilitated a seamless admission process.
He added, “This created an easy platform for the first admission exercise and perfection of relevant documents in related offices.”
In a nod to corporate responsibility, Mr. Alkali acknowledged CCECC Nigeria Limited, the company responsible for constructing the university, for its commitment to executing several corporate social responsibility projects.
He also revealed that the university would benefit from TETFund’s intervention for capital projects in the upcoming financial year.
“More significantly, President Bola Tinubu has graciously approved the financing of the University under the 2024 Appropriation (Repeal and Enactment) Act. I wish these young, but prosperous university students a successful academic life,” he affirmed.
The ceremony also featured remarks from the pioneer Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Umar Adam-Katsayal, who provided insights into the admission process. He noted that JAMB had approved a total quota of 500 candidates for the academic session.
“Based on that approval, we widely advertised and called for candidates that scored the approved National Minimum Tolerable Marks for admission into Nigerian Universities during the 2023 JAMB. They must equally be interested in building a career in the transportation industry, hence they can apply for admission via the university’s portal. The call was overwhelmingly responded to with 1,250 candidates, which made us request for an addition of 10 percent of the given quota from the JAMB, which was graciously granted.
“At the end of the screening and registration exercises, a total of 478 candidates were successfully registered across the 14 programmes and pursuing their academic activities,” he explained.
