The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria on Saturday began the construction of its N250 million Lakeview Golf Course on the campus, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony, which was held in the main campus in Samaru, the Chancellor of the institution, Obi of Onitsha, Nnaemeka Ugochukwu-Achebe, said sports has become big business that could generate massive revenue for organizations such as the ABU.
While describing sports as a big factor for national cohesion, Ugochukwu-Achebe said: “Golf is the premier of all sports which can be played from childhood to the end of one’s life.
“Golf is inexpensive, it is a gentleman’s game which is played without personal contact and it is civilised and non damaging.
“The motivation in Golf, is that if you don’t do well today, you can come back tomorrow to improve on it,” he noted.
In his speech, the Pro-Chancellor, AVM Tukur Sa’ad (Rtd) described Golf as a challenging game that does not restrict based on age, race or status.
He encouraged both staff and students of the university to endeavour to register with the new golf club to broaden their horizon.
Sa’ad assured that by the time the project was accomplished, it would be one of the best in Nigeria.
The Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Muhammadu Nuhu-Sanusi, a veteran golfer, also observed that ABU was blessed to be one of the first universities in Nigeria to own a golf course.
“There are lots of opportunities for students to become professional golfers, I will pay personal attention to the actualisation of this golf course.”
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ibrahim Garba, said lack of knowledge about the game has hindered its rapid acceptance by people.
He said the university was interested in promoting the game considering the fact that it was for the elderly, middle age and the young.
The Alumni Association of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, is to spend more than N200m on the construction of a postgraduate hostel at the main campus of the university.
The National President of the association, Prof. Ahmad Tijjani-Mora, made this disclosure while speaking to newsmen in Gusau on Wednesday after meeting with the members of the association in Zamfara.
Tijjani-Mora said that the construction of the hostel was one of the four major projects proposed to be executed by the association for the development of the university.
“We give priority to this project, considering the problems of inadequate accommodation in the institution.
“The university is having more than 60, 000 students but with only 14, 000 bed spaces for the their accommodation.
“Although, the problem of inadequate accommodation is not limited to ABU alone, it affects all the Nigerian universities.
“As old students, who benefited from the university, we have to try our best to support the university in this regard,” he said.
Tijjani-Mora said the construction of a pedestal bridge at the North-gate of the main campus of the university was the effort of the members of the association and former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
He said the project, worth N80m, had reached 50 per cent completion, which, when completed would improve the wellbeing of the students.
“We also introduced a new programme, in which we want to assist the students of the university with loans for laptops in order to improve their capacity in computer literacy.
“Under this programme, any interested students will apply for the loan through the association and get the laptop at the cost of N86,000 to pay back in 36 months.
“We also planned a new transportation system aimed at reducing the transport problems being faced by the students of the university,” he explained.
He said the association embarked on a nationwide tour to visit its members in all the states of the federation in order to mobilise and encourage them to support the association’s programmes for the development of the university.
“We have finished with the North-East, we are now in the North-West, after which we will continue in other parts of the country,” Tijjani-Mora added.
The alumni president lauded the support and cooperation of the State Government and the Council of Chiefs under the leadership of the Emir of Anka, Alhaji Attahiru Ahmad, who is also an alumnus, towards the development of the association.
The Vice Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Professor Ibrahim Garba, on Monday reconfirmed that Senator Dino Melaye earned a degree in Geography from the Faculty of Arts in the year 2000.
On the investigation of the certificate forgery against Melaye, the Vice Chancellor, who also appeared before the Senate Ethics committee told the committee that Melaye graduated from the institution as Daniel Jonah Melaye with a 3rd class degree in Geography.
The VC noted that Melaye graduated and did his one year compulsory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) between 2000 and 2001 in Kaduna State.
Vice-chancellor said: “From the records, I know Sen. Dino Melaye, who was formerly known as Jonah Daniel Melaye as a former student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and I know him to be the distinguished senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“From the records of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Distinguished Senator Dino Melaye who was at that time named Daniel Jonah Melaye graduate with a third class degree of the Bachelors of Art in Geography in the year 2000. And by this, he is a graduate of the university.
“In my honour, I reaffirm that Sen. Dino Melaye graduated as Daniel Jonah Melaye during the third semester of the 1998/1999 academic session with a 3rd Class Degree in Geography, that is Bachelors of Arts in Geography.”
Melaye had in his testimony said, “I thank you for the invitation and I want to state my unequivocal confidence in this committee to do justice to this matter.
“I have few documents I would also want to tender to the committee and before I do that I also want to state with every sense of responsibility that I am a graduate of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.
“I gained admission with an offer of admission on the 6th of September, 1994 and the admission is to study Bachelor of Arts Geography and a copy of that admission letter will be tendered.
“I also have a second document to tender, my acceptance offer by the university. I also have the third document to tender which is my result from the Ahmadu Bello University certifying me a graduate of the school.
“I also have here a document for my registration that I tendered where I have C5 in CRS, A3 in Agric, C6 in Economics, C6 in Geography, C6 in Biology and a credit in English.
“I will also tender that as evidence. I also want to tender that after my graduation from the Ahmadu Bello University, the school sent my name to the NYSC for the mandatory Service and I participated in the one year NYSC.
“I served in Police College Kaduna and by the grace of God, that year I won the National Prize of the DG and it is on record and verifiable and I beg to tender my discharge certificate from NYSC,’’ he said.
“My name as an undergraduate was Daniel Jonah Melaye. Jonah is actually my father’s name, so that is what I have on my university certificate.
“But because I am now popularly known as Dino I applied to the court and asked that I needed an affidavit for change of name before my admission and I submitted it to ABU.
“I will tender my Identity cards and I came here with a copy of my final year project duly signed by my head of the department in the Faculty of Arts as it was then called.”
Senator Muhammed Ali Ndume
When the committee proceedings began, Senator Ali Ndume, who raised the issue was not at the hearing room.
Clerk of the committee, Freedom Osolo, told the committee that Ndume could not be reached.
Osolo noted that phone calls made to Ndume’s phone were not answered.
When Ndume eventually came around he was questioned why he decided to raise the issue.
Ndume told the committee that he did not write any petition, but only raised a point of order to draw the attention of the Senate to a newspaper publication.
He said: “I did not petition. I only raised a point of order. That is Order 14 and 15. That is, when an issue about a lawmaker comes up, we have the right to bring it up. I made a request. The decision to bring this case before this committee is not my doing. It was the decision of the Senate. I did not expect that it will generate this kind of attention.
“I came here with my own certificate. I was here when the Vice Chancellor said that Melaye graduated from the school in 1999. I do not know how you can graduate in 2000 but went for your NYSC in 1999. I do not understand.”
Anyanwu corrected Ndume. He said the Vice Chancellor had already cleared the air on when Melaye graduated. He said contrary to Ndume’s claims, Melaye’s NYSC discharge certificate shows that he underwent the compulsory one-year national programme in 2000, after his graduation.
Anyanwu retorted on another point raised by Ndume and said: “You said you did not write any petition, but only raised a point of order. Did you as a Senator do any due diligence before you brought the case before the Senate?”
Ndume, again reacted: “That is not my job. That is the job of the committee. I only raised a point of order. I am not Punch Newspaper and I did not write this report.”
Senator Peter Nwaoboshi stepped in at this time and added his voice. He said: “When you make such a serious allegation, you must back it up. Let me read the discharge certificate of his NYSC to you. That is the certificate.”
Not ready to cave in, Ndume maintained: “I raised a point of order and it was referred to this committee. You have shown me the certificate and it has resolved the problem. It is not personal. If there is anything against the integrity of the Senate, it is our duty to clear it. What is the big deal?
Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Bala Na’Allah, who doubles as vice chairman of the Ethics committee explained more: “It is not about the procedure or the contents of the complaints. You are aware that you are a former Leader of the Senate. You are aware that the public, having formed an opinion, based on what you presented, that we clear this whole thing? I am sure we have cleared your mind since you have seen the discharge certificate. What will be your conclusion when you leave here?
Ndume reacted: “Let me add that I called the attention of the Senate because I feel it is my responsibility to do that. I did not do it in isolation. It has happened before. It cannot be swept under the carpet. He has presented everything. What more do I have to say? What I did was to protect the integrity of the Senate.”
The Adamawa State College of Education, Hong, will begin degree programmes in six education related courses from September, the Provost, Dr Johnson Pongri, has said.
Pongri told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Yola that the the degree programmes would be affiliated to and moderated by the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.
The provost, who did not name the courses, however, said their introduction would expand the scope of academic programmes run by the teacher training institution.
“The college will soon begin its degree programme with at least with six courses.
“We are working hard to start the programme latest by September this year, especially as ABU has already giving us the go ahead.
“This programme will supplement the Adamawa State University, Mubi, which do not have a Faculty of Education,” he said.
The provost commended the Tertiary Education Trust Fund for its massive intervention in the college, and assured that funds provided for an ICT centre in the college would be properly utilised.
NAN reports that the college is currently running 36 courses leading to the award of National Certificate of Education (NCE).
The University of Lagos (UNILAG) male team have emerged champions of the maiden edition of the Ahmadu Musa Kida (AMK) Foundation/Nigeria University Games (NUGA) 3X3 Basketball Competition in a final decided on Sunday in Abuja.
They beat neighbours, University of Ibadan (UI) in the final game to claim the trophy as well as qualify to represent Nigeria at the World University Tournament.
Basketball power house, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) settled for the bronze medal.
In the female category, Bayero University Kano (BUK) subdued fellow northern team, University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) to pick the gold, leaving the latter with the silver.
University of Ibadan again, put up a good fight to settle for the bronze medal.
ABU defeated Nasssrawa to pick bronze in men and UI defeated UNIZIK.
Minister of Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung, who was the Special Guest of Honour, lauded AMK Foundation as shining example of what NGO’s can do to promote youth empowerment through sports.
He confirmed readiness of government to reforming the sports sector insisting that the only pathway to growth will be through the grassroots.
He also thanked NUGA for expanding its programs beyond the biannual sporting festival.
AMK Foundation President Engr Musa Ahmadu Kida in his speech expressed the readiness of the Foundation to remain committed to its foundation goals of empowering the youths through education and sports, saying that the investment in NUGA basketball is a continuation of that service.
He confirmed the interest of the foundation to solidify the partnership with NUGA going further into other Basketball enterprises.
NUGA President Professor Stephen Hamafyelto expressed gratitude to AMK for the sponsorship urging other private stakeholders to follow suit.
He also canvassed for adequate funding for NUGA from government to ensure that the sporting sector within the university system remains vibrant.
Other side events at the occasion were a slam dunk competition, free throws, and a 3pts shoot out. Most valuable player awards were given to outstanding male and female players.
Hosts Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) did not disappoint their fans as they led the pack of teams to qualify for the final of the Ahmadu Musa Kida Foundation/Nigeria University Games (AMK/NUGA) maiden 3×3
Basketball Competition which is scheduled to begin in Abuja on March 2, 2017.
They emerged from the second qualifiers which was concluded in the early hours of Sunday morning at the Indoor Gymnasium Hall, ABU, Zaria.
They would be joined by Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Kaduna State University, Kano University of Science and Technology Wudil and the University of Ilorin, who also topped the table respectively.
Bayero University, Kano were not so lucky as they finished at the sixth spot, also unlucky were those who finished beneath them on the table. They are Federal University Lokoja, Federal University Dutse, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBUNI), Lapai, University of Maiduguri and Federal University, Dutsinma, Katsina State.
For the female category, Bayero University topped the table, University of Ilorin was second and hosts ABU finished third. The three teams have qualified for the finals.They would be joined by teams that had earlier qualified from Lagos zone, led by the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
Others are University of Ibadan (UI), University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Enugu State University (ESUT) and Benson Idahosa University (BIU). For the female category, UI leads the pack, UNILAG follows, BIU, UNN and UNIZIK complete the list respectively.
When asked to comment on the outcome, NUGA Basketball Chairman, Professor Adamu Ahmed said he expects a tough competition in Abuja from March 3.
He said that those that qualified from both qualifiers in Lagos and Zaria did so after stiff competition, but should prepare themselves for an even stiffer outing in Abuja when the best of the best converge.
Professor Ahmed praised the AMK Foundation for keeping faith with NUGA Basketball in bankrolling the competition, while assuring that only the best team will emerge to represent Nigeria at the World Universities Tournament.
The AMK Foundation is a nonprofit charity organization with interest in youths empowerment through sports. President of the Foundation Engr Musa Ahmadu Kida, is a former senior National Basketball player and Board member of the Nigeria Basketball Federation. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the ABU Basketball Foundation.
Professor Ahmed is one time National Basketball team player and Chairman Technical Committee of the Nigeria Basketball Federation.
It would be recalled that AMK Foundation has for two years running been the sole sponsor of the West Africa 3 Aside basketball tournament.
Yobe Government on Tuesday, donated N30 million to the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria to improve the institution’s facilities and promote academic excellence.
Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam said this in Damaturu when the National President of ABU Alumni Association, Dr Ahmad Mora, paid him a courtesy visit.
Gaidam said the quality of research and teaching programmes at the university had placed it as a centre of academic excellence.
He said: “Its pre-eminence in teaching and research has stood the institution out among its peers, not just in the country but also around the world.
“As an alumnus of ABU, I can attest to its high standards of teaching and research;
‘’It is something ABU has continued with consistency and excellence,” he said.
“We believe in the importance of education and this is why we are doing a lot in Yobe to rebuild our schools and help our students.
“This is a commitment we will continue to make and it is in this spirit that we make this donation, to assist the ABU Alumni Association,” he said.
Earlier, Mora said the association was building a post-graduate hostel estimated at over N200 million and, an intra-city bus shuttle service for the students of the university.
He further said the association was “promoting the welfare, standards, and good name of the university as well as seeking partnership and support from members.”
Mora commended the giant strides recorded in the state aimed at improving the people’s living condition.
“ABU is proud to have 12 state governors, including Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam, as alumnus of this great institution,” he said.
The Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria on Wednesday said Nigeria required effective agricultural extension service to get out of present economic recession.
Prof. Ibrahim Garba, made the disclosure at the opening ceremony of 2016 National Agricultural Extension Review Meeting.
The three-day meeting was held at the National Agricultural Extension Research and Liaison Services (NAERLS), Samaru, Zaria, Kaduna State.
The V-C, who was represented by Prof. Ezra Bako-Amos, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academics, said: “I believe that effective agricultural extension is a sure strategy in charting our way out of economic recession.
“The global reduction in oil price, the self-inflicted reduction in crude oil production capacity and the fall in the value of Naira have all contributed to putting Nigeria in a serious economic crisis.
“Agriculture has been identified as a way out of the crisis through increasing the production of food and cash crops and guaranteeing national food security,” he said.
Garba also said that for Nigeria to be food secured, the pivotal role of agricultural extension services in improving agricultural production and productivity must not be undermined.
According to him, there is no better time to discuss Nigeria agriculture than now, because, some of the recent news about food security in Nigeria paint gloomy pictures of poverty and hunger.
“Inflation rate rose from 9.6 percent in January 2016 to 18.3 percent in October 2016.”
In his speech, the NAERLS Director, Prof. Mohammed Khalid-Othman said the service has remained the foremost institute for agricultural extension research and capacity development in Nigeria.
“Based on that, we have been partnering with all stakeholders in the agricultural value chain and extension delivery to plan and implement extension activities in the country.
“You could recall, every year about this time, we hold this meeting to deliberate on agricultural extension issues and chart a cause of action,” he said.
Khalid-Othman recalled that the Federal Government in August this year launched a road map on agriculture, known as “Green Alternative for Promotion of Agriculture from 2016-2020”.
“This roadmap is aimed at diversifying the economy through agricultural sector due to unlimited potentials, the need to create jobs for the teeming population of youth and the huge and unsustainable food importation bills.
“I wish to inform you that NAERLS with its national mandate on an agricultural extension is at the core centre of implementation of this roadmap.
“This is by training of hundreds of unemployed youths on skills in agricultural production, income generation and extension delivery services.
“The most recent one is the training of unemployed youths in Gombe State on Agricultural Advisory Service Delivery,” he said.
The meeting drew participants from Agricultural Development Programmes, seed companies, farmers’ associations as well as other stakeholders in the industry across Nigeria.
Former Vice Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, and now spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Ango Abdullahi, had a narrow escape last week on his way to Bauchi State University, Gadau. His car was shot at many times by soldiers escorting a convoy said to be conveying sensitive materials. Prof Abdullahi’s sin was that his car overtook the slow-moving convoy. It was an affront, the soldiers said after demobilising his car and missing the professor and his driver by a whisker. A few months in February, security men believed to be policemen were alleged to have extra-judicially murdered another ABU professor, Ahmed Mustapha Falaki, an agronomist, whom they mistook for a Boko Haram suspect.
It was not clear why the soldiers believed the load they were escorting was more sensitive than Prof Abdullahi’s life and his driver’s. Nor is it understandable why even after demobilising the professor’s car the soldiers still felt remorseless about how close they came to needlessly killing innocent people. The Army is reported to have sent a representative to apologise for the soldiers’ misbehaviour, with a promise to investigate and bring to book the offending culprits. As in the case of Prof Falaki, few believe justice will be served in any way.
Until Nigerian security agents are fully and intelligently reoriented to do their jobs professionally, and until they recognise they are not an occupation force, such incidents as visited on Profs Abdullahi and Falaki will recur. In 2009, the extra-judicial killing of Boko Haram leader by policemen stoked the fire of the revolt in the Northeast, a fire yet to be extinguished after more than 13,000 people have died and billions of naira in property destroyed.
