The authorities of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria are planning to move
the institution to postgraduate university in order to reduce workload
of its academic and allow younger universities to grow.
Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Ibrahim Garba this at the
biennial international conference of the university’s School of
Postgraduate Studies, yesterday.
He pointed out that the intention to migrate from conventional
university to postgraduate university was in line with best global
academic practices.
His words: “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.
“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 started 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.”
Professor Garba noted that if the founder of the institution, Sir
Ahmadu Bello was alive today, he would have done things differently
and brought new things into light.
“It reached a point where Kongo campus of the university 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 added
The Vice Chancellor explained that 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.
He noted that Department of Business Administration alone had been
broken into four different departments. All these they were doing
translated into more imperatives.
Garba said ABU remained number one in Nigeria in all ramifications,
adding that the expectation on the university was enormous in terms of
capacity to take both undergraduates and postgraduates.
