The Nation Newspaper

Tag: UAM

  • UAM: Kimbir takes over, promises open-door policy

    The five-year tenure of Prof Emmanuel Kucha as the vice chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, came to an end yesterday.

    Prof Richard Kimbir, a professor of Mathematics, who was appointed in October, takes over the mantle of leadership.

    In a colourful but brief ceremony held inside the Council Chambers of the Agric Varsity, Professor Kimbir promised to operate an open-door policy to accommodate all stakeholders.

    Professor Kucha on his part said he has done his best and hopes the incoming vice chancellor would build and sustain his achievement.

    After the former handover, both the out-gone and new vice chancellor attended a thanksgiving mass at the Convocation Square.

    All principal officers of the university were in attendance.

     

  • UAM budgets N6b for NUGA

    The Vice Chancellor Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (UAM), Prof Emmanuel Kucha, has said the institution has budgeted N8billion to host the Nigeria Universities Games (NUGA).

    Speaking when the leadership of the Sports Writers of Nigeria (SWAN) Benue State chapter, led by its Chairman, Uja Emmanuel, paid him a visit, Kucha said that the institution is 90 per cent ready with facilities for the games.

    He said four new hostels were under construction to accommodate over 10,000 sports men and women expected during the two-week meet.  He added that three football pitches and tennis hall are almost completed.

    However, he said the swimming pool and the track, which were not ready, are major obstacles and appealed to the private sector to partner with UAM to host a successful competition.

    The Vice-Chancellor praised SWAN for donating a table tennis board for the games, urging other individuals to take a cue from the sports writers.

    In his speech, Emmanuel said the association visited the vice chancellor to seek partnership for the games.

    He added that Benue people were happy that UAM got the rights to host the games, reiterating the determination of SWAN to provide  coverage for the competition.

    He praised the vice chancellor for his commitment and massive upgrade of facilities ahead of NUGA.

    SWAN members toured faculties being put in place for the games.

     

  • UAM signs MoU with NUGA

    The Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi (UAM) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with the Nigerian Universities Games Association (NUGA) to host the 25th edition of the competition later this year in Makurdi, Benue State.

    The MoU was signed at the council chambers of the university by NUGA President, Prof. Stephen Hamafyelto, and the Vice Chancellor, Prof Emmanuel Kucha.

    Hamafyelto also inaugurated the main organising committee (MOC) for the event.

    The committee, which he chairs, has six other members made up of the NUGA Secretary-General,

    Mr. A. Orudele, and representatives of the Committee of Vice Chancellors (CVC), National Universities Commission (NUC), National Sports Commission (NSC), Federal Ministry of Education (FME), and a member of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the host university.

    Hamafyelto congratulated Prof Kucha for winning the hosting rights of the games and expressed happiness with the university’s commitment.

    “It is our tradition that after granting you the hosting rights, we come back to see how prepared you are and also inaugurate the main organising committee.  On this note, I want to affirm with all seriousness our support and willingness to partner with the university in making sure that UAM host the best NUGA ever,” he said.

    Responding, the Vice Chancellor challenged the university community and Benue people to take advantage of the opportunities the  games present.

    As part of his support to the university for the successful hosting of this game, the Chairman and Chief Executive of Choice Leisure Ltd. Chief Felix Akiga, donated some sports materials and promised to do more during the games.

  • Ebola: UAM sensitises students and host community

    THE Directorates of the University Agriculture Makurdi (UAM), Health Services have embarked on sensitisation campaign against the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

    In his keynote address, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Emmanuel Kucha, urged the students to wage war against Ebola through enlightenment exercises.

    The sensitisation, which was organised by the university health service in collaboration with the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Benue State branch.

    Kucha was represented by the Dean, College of Science, Prof Rufus Shaato.

    He said: “The university community is indeed unique as its members are highly mobile and have travelled widely within and across the national boundaries and territories, and it is importance they are informed of the need to imbibe the culture of personal hygiene to prevent contracting Ebola Disease Virus.”

    Some of the topics treated at the event were: ‘Zoonosis and one health approach to the control of Ebola’, and ‘Prevention and control of Ebola disease’.

    Workers and students of the university also attended the event.

  • UAM matriculates 5,868 freshers

    Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi (UAM), Prof Emmanuel Kucha, has charged 5,868 new students admitted for the 2013/2014 academic session to shun social vices such as cultism, indecent dressing, sexual harassment, drug abuse, and examination misconduct.

    Kucha, in his address, advised the students to get their priorities right and settle down quickly for the academic challenges ahead.

    He further reminded the freshers that they many experience a little discomfort while undertaking the rigours of academic work.  But he encouraged them to regard the challenges as experience and surmount any obstacle.

    The vice chancellor announced that UAM would host the 25th edition of the Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA), urging the students to take advantage and engage in sporting activities to win laurels.

    Of the 5,868 students that matriculated, 3,252 are full time degree students, 916 students are for the sandwich programme, while 1,700 are post graduate students.

  • UAM, ABU lecturers protest in Makurdi, Zaria

    Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday protested in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, and Zaria, Kaduna State.

    The Makurdi protest was spearheaded by ASUU members in the University of Agriculture, Makurdi (UAM), and the Zaria peaceful protest was led by ASUU members in Ahmadu Bello University (ABU).

    The UAM-ASUU members protested the non-implementation of its 2009 agreement with the Federal Government.

    The protest started at 9am at the UAM campus and lasted almost two hours.

    There was a traffic gridlock on the busy Makurdi Railway bypass through major streets in the area.

    The protesters sang solidarity songs and urged the government to honour its agreement with the union.

    UAM-ASUU Chairman Dr Celestine Aguoru said the union’s nationwide strike was for the overall development of education in the country.

    He said scores of Nigerian students were running to Niger Republic to complete their education.

    The union leader said the money spent on President Goodluck Jonathan’s trip to the United Nations (UN) and Israel, with some governors, ministers and a horde of aides, would have improved the education sector.

    Dr Aguoru urged influential Nigerians to prevail on the government to honour its agreement with ASUU.

    The ABU protest, it was learnt, was aimed at enlightening the public on the ongoing lecturers’ strike.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ASUU members trekked about two kilometres in Zaria during the peaceful protest.

    Addressing reporters after the trek, the Chairman of ABU branch of the union, Dr Mohammed Kabir-Aliyu, said the protest was to enlighten the public on the demands of the lecturers.

    He said: “We are on strike because our universities are dying. We want our universities revitalised. We are not on strike because of allowances or salaries.

    “Our intention is to revitalise our universities to compete with other universities in the world.

    “Lecturers are on strike to rekindle the hopes of children from indigent backgrounds by making the system work as it should.

    “Our students know that the system is not working the way it should, because the facilities that will make it work are just not there.”

    On Federal Government’s stand that it had no sufficient funds to cater for ASUU’s demands, Kabir-Aliyu said: “What the union is asking for is negligible.”

    The union leader urged the Federal Government to address the lecturers’ demands to save education from total collapse.

  • UAM gets VC

    Professor Emmanuel Kucha has been appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, (UAM).

    Kucha, a professor of mechanical engineering, will take over from Prof Vershima Uza, whose troubled tenure ends next month.

    Since the announcement was made public, the entire university and host communities have erupted in jubilation because of the choice of the new Vice Chancellor.

    Minda, the host community had poised for war if Kucha, a son of the soil, was not appointed the next Vice-Chancellor. This is the first time the community will be producing a Vice-Chancellor for the university.

    Kucha, born August 1950 in Guma Local Government of Benue State, he obtained his bachelors, masters and Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering. Mechanics from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and the Michigan Technological University, Michigan,USA.