By Godfrey AKON
The University of Abuja, UniAbuja, has commenced a 24-hour security patrol to ensure the safety of staff and students of the institution.
Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council of the university, Mohammed Ahmed Modibbo, disclosed this at a retreat organised by the Governing Council for principal officers, deans, directors and university-based unions on Saturday in Abuja.
Modibbo said the institution has also engaged the services of hunters and vigilantes to boost its security following a recent incident of abduction of some staff and family members by bandits.
“We have now mounted continuous 24 hours security patrol, not only within the campus and residential area but within perimeters of the university.
“We also employed additional hunters and vigilantes to be patrolling in areas that are not fenced.”
He said the governing council is also working out a plan to ensure decent accommodation for staff through the involvement of investors and other relevant bodies.
Speaking on the theme of the retreat: “Navigating Myriad of Challenges in Managing Universities in Today’s World,” Modibbo advocated innovative ways of enhancing additional funding for the institutions.
He said UniAbuja was making efforts to also partner several international organisations and foreign universities on alternative funding for the university.
“The University of Abuja is making efforts to partner with a lot of international organisations, a lot of foreign countries and overseas universities.
“Almost every week, we have one ambassador or the other visiting the university. They have selected the University of Abuja to pilot some of the collaborations they want to do with not only Nigerian universities but the Nigerian government.
“For instance, the Netherland government want to establish a dairy research centre and we will find it useful for faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Faculty of Agriculture where they will establish and promote research into veterinary challenges, into milk production, research into agriculture from China, from Netherlands so that they will now use our students.
On sexual harassment in the university system, Modibbo emphasised that those found culpable would henceforth be sanctions accordingly.
He revealed that over 10 cases of such had been transferred to the university’s disciplinary committee and persons found guilty would be brought to book.
“Once somebody breaches the rules and regulations, they must be sanctioned no matter how highly placed. Whether it is sexual harassment, examination malpractices or extortion from students in one way or the other.
“We have so many cases now being investigated and we have referred over 10 cases of staff indiscipline, including professors to the university disciplinary committee.
“There are procedures that have to first of all be established, investigated, reported to the council and the council passed to the disciplinary committee.
“I can assure you that in the next couple of months, you will begin to see changes in the way we approach things in the university,” he said.
Declaring the retreat open, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Sonny Echono, said universities must be proactive to address their challenges, particularly in the area of sustainable funding.
On his part, Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, commended the Governing Council for the retreat and listed the various steps taken by the UniAbuja in recent time to position it as a world-class university.
Na’Allah, however, expressed concerns over the negative practices that held sway in the university before his assumption of office and the seeming resistance being put up by some staff in the quest to address the anomalies.
According to Na’Allah, some of the hitherto challenges include absence of proper students record, sexual harassment, handling of senior academic staff courses by part-time lecturers, religious and ethnic agenda, among others.
