University of Abuja,New Pro-Chancellor promise to improve standard

Pro-Chancellor of Uniabuja S.O. Ogbemudia

The new Governing Council of the University of Abuja will work with staff, students, and management to improve the quality of learning in the university, the new Pro-Chancellor of the school, S.O. Ogbemudia, has said.

Mr. Ogbemudia stated this at a press briefing on Friday in Abuja. He also said the students of the University are expected to resume and could commence lectures on Monday, April 29.

The Pro-chancellor said that the Council, inaugurated on April 9 by the Federal Government, has pleaded with lecturers at the university to resume work on Monday.

The university's chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, had planned a warning strike to commence on Monday to protest the delay by the government in releasing a white paper on the report of the Special Presidential Visitation Panel on the University, which took place last year.

"The council held its first meeting yesterday, the 25th of April. We spoke extensively on various issues concerning the university including the impending strike action. The leaderships of all the unions, especially ASUU, were invited to the meeting. They all pledged their support and Council hopes that ASUU will no longer go on strike," Mr. Ogbemudia said.

The pro-chancellor expressed hope that the university, being in the capital city, will become one of the mega universities planned by the Federal Government to be located in each of the six geo-political zones.

"It should be admitted that as it is presently, the university hardly befits a local government headquarters. This is one of the major or biggest challenges confronting this council and I'm glad to say that we have accepted this challenge.

"Every effort has been put in place to ensure that everyone's hand is on deck and that every aspect of the university is been looked into. All courses will be examined and upgraded by the senate so as to achieve the objective of making it a mega university," Mr. Ogbemudia said.

While answering questions from journalists, the Vice Chancellor of the University, James Adelabu, said the university was working hard to ensure that students of the Engineering Faculty who are being transferred to other schools resume promptly. He said those going to the Federal University of Technology, Minna, would resume with their new school next week; while those going to other universities would also resume there as their transcripts and other results had been sent to the new schools.

The Engineering Faculty of the University was not accredited, leading to students of the faculty protesting; and eventually leading to the closure of the school. The university and the federal government eventually resolved to transfer the engineering students to other schools.

Mr. Adelabu said medical students of the university would also resume on Monday as their various facilities had been put in place.