The University of Abuja UofA an acronym derived from the furtitious zeal of the current Vice Chancellor, Professor Abdulrasheed Na’allah, two time Vice Chancellor, Kwara State University KWASU. Molete in Kwara State whose intentions was not only to repositioned the ivory tower, but ensured a beffiting identify to the only government established university in the heart of the nation, established over three decades away.
Na’allah who assumed duty three years down the line was worried by absence of a befitting identify for the university as he without further delay, mounted signposts to the institution strategically, while he replaced the dilapidated one at the entrance including a beffiting entrance gate, and beautified entrance environment.
Na’allah’s aesthetic volition that had relaxed the pressure on the only entrance into the university resulted in the construction of two other roads among many others in the university campus that will improve the perennial congestion on the main gate into the University of Abuja UofA.
A hardworking academia, away from the literary genre, his immediate constituency, the Professor of literature had made a remarkable achievements and successes in all areas, a feat that was not rivalled in the Kwara State University KWASU Molete were he held sway for consecutive eight years.
At Uniabuja, the fear of Professor Na’allah was the beginning of wisdom, not only by his giant , lanky appearance, but his insistence on doing the right thing, innovative ideas and robust initiatives that will improve academic activities of the Institution.
A role model, through his well thought out policies, programs and decisions, though, weighed down by the last ASUU strike, but his legacy of uninterrupted and seamless academic calendar since his assumption of duty stood him out among both States and Federal universities in Nigeria.
Gone were the days when students of the University no longer pay school fees, writing exams by proxy, miracle centres, among many other that was antithetical to the university tradition, with strict monitoring of the students activities through centre for mentorship and training among many others.
The deadly issues of admission cloning, fake admissions, racketeering and forgery as well as drug consumption by students of the Institution had become a thing of the past, as strict policies, decisions and stringent measures was introduced to address the growing scourge.
Professor Abdulrasheed collaborated with relevant government agencies to introduce pro students programs, for instance, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA, to carry out drugs examination, test and awareness on both fresh and returning students to ensure a free drug institution and society, to enhance adequate learning and character moulding.
Na’allah in his bid to protect the students of the University from harrassment especially the female ones, has introduced policies and sanctioned some of the institution’s lecturers and other staffs found harrassing the female students and also students harrassing both students/ lecturers in the ivory tower.
He set up a machinery to unravel unethical activities in the institution with commensurate sanction and reward system after due process, while encouraging both academic and non academic staffs into attracting juicy grants to improve their academic prowess in the university environment.
With his encouragement and initiatives, many academic staffs have secured both local and foreign grants for further studies abroad, having challenged them on the need to initiate research programs geared towards resolving both social, political, educational and economic problems of the country.
Academic and non academic staffs who had distinguished themselves in their careers and given assignments have been promoted to various levels including Professors in recent times, while departments, schools and colleges were established, reorganized and reconstructed to meet the current realities.
Na’allah has promoted academic excellence among the academic staffs and students, so as to encourage students whose intentions was to join the academic circle, through awards and recognition in various departments of the Institution.
He had ensured systematic and gradual movements of faculties, departments and offices to the permanent site to ensure ease of administration, monitoring and evaluation of programs of the Institution, through massive construction of faculties, departments and schools in the university’s permanent site.
The ongoing expansion, and accomodation of all the length of breadth of it’s large acre of land in the permanent site through its reclamation policy was distinct among many others, as he ensured direct and collaboration of both local and international bodies establishment of centres, offices that will be beneficial to the immediate university community.
Aside restructuring the administrative and physical structure of the Institution towards service delivery, staffs welfare, security of lives and properties among many others was giving adequate attention.
The threat to lives and properties on the campus had become a thing of the past, through a robust synergy with both local vigilante and government security agencies in the nation’s capital, as the security agencies are permanently stationed in all the two campuses and the staff quarters of the Institution.
The presence of military headquarters across the university campus has provided another opportunity for a rejigged security situations, through synergy and collaboration with the relevant bodies including the joint task force patrol.
Professor Abdulrasheed Na’allah no doubt has revolutionised all areas of the University into responding to any impending issues desiring attention, hence his ascension to the over three decades ivory tower established in 1987 was the best thing that has happened to the Institution.
*ABUBAKAR YUSUF, A Public Affairs Analyst writes from Abuja.
