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Tag: UNIABUJA

  • UNIABUJA to run Mass Communication, nursing, soon

    The University of Abuja would soon start running courses in mass communication, nursing, biochemistry, geology and others, its Vice Chancellor, Prof Michael Adikwu, has said.

    He said this at a briefing in Abuja on Monday to celebrate three years in office as vice-chancellor.

    Adikwu said the university had secured full accreditation for most of the courses that were not fully accredited in the past.

    “We are thinking of courses not hitherto running in the university how we can begin to offer them – courses like nursing, mass communication, biochemistry, geology and host of others.

    “We are looking at expanding into those areas. If we have more courses, more students can be taken.

    “All the 12 courses have full accreditation,” the VC said.

    He said it was not true that the university was paying half salaries to the university workers.

    “It is not true that we were paying half salaries. We have never paid less than 85 per cent or 90. The bursar can confirm this that we have never paid less than 85 per cent.

    “It was not only University of Abuja, but all the federal institutions. Some paid 75, some paid 80. Our own was very good,” he added.

  • UNIABUJA sacks two senior staff

    The Governing Council of the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) has approved the immediate termination of appointments of Mr. Jude .O. Nwabueze of the institution’s Transport Unit and Mr. Nurudeen T. Yusuf of the University Medical Centre for acts of insubordination.

    A statement issued by the Registrar of the university, Mrs. Rifkatu Hoshen Swanta, disclosed this on Friday.

    Swanta said the decision to sack the duo was based on the recommendations of the Council Disciplinary Committee which was approved by the Governing Council at its 76th regular meeting on Thursday.

    She said the decision to sack Mr. Nwabueze and Mr. Yusuf, who were chairman and secretary of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), UNIABUJA chapter, respectively, was “in line with section 16 (i) of the University of Abuja Act and section 7 (1) (b) (i) of the University of Abuja Conditions of Service for Senior Staff.”

     

     

  • UNIABUJA probes students’poor performance

    The University of Abuja has promised to look into the academic performance of its students between 2008 and last year.

    In a statement,  the varsity’s Deputy Registrar (Information), Waziri Garba, said the probe would help the improve students’ performance.

    According to the statement, the university’s Senate at its 159th regular meeting has set up a 13-member committee to carry out the assignment.

    The committee has Prof M. A. Maisamari Dean, Faculty of Education as chairman.

    The job of the committee, the statement said, is to investigate the academic performance of students of the university during the period to halt their poor performance.

    “The committee is to, among other things, look at the distribution of class of degrees of granduands for each academic programme over the period, review the admission process and identify any lapses as well as evaluate campus life, students’ reading culture, personal study time, library usage, students involvement in distractive activities and the value systems.

    “The committee is also to assess teaching at the institution including depth of coverage, understanding, attendance at lectures, lecture venues, quality of examination and marking scheme. It will also evaluate the state of facilities and infrastructure including physical and electronic, as well as the quality of the lectures bearing in mind subject mastery, specialisation, workload on lecturers, adequacy of staff and environmental factors, among others,” the statement added.

  • IBB advises UNIABUJA Council on development

    Former military President General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) has charged the Governing Council of the University of Abuja not to relent on its plan to make the institution one of the best in the world.

    Babangida, the first Visitor to the university, said he was impressed with its level of development.

    According to a statement by the institution’s Deputy Registrar (Information), Waziri Garba, Babangida spoke when he received members of Council and management of the university at his Minna residence in Niger State.

    He said: “It (UNIABUJA) was our own creation. It is always of interest for me to know how the university is doing. I want to say that I am most impressed by the development that is currently going on in the university.

    “I am glad that you are doing well. I am glad that it is one of the universities in which I was the pioneer Visitor. I want you to continue with the zeal and determination to make it one of the finest and best institutions, not only in Nigeria, perhaps Africa and in the world.”

    The statement said Babangida thanked the delegation for the visit, which was to felicitate with him on his 75th birthday and to wish him well on his health challenges.

    Leader of the delegation Dr. Mahe Dange, who is also a member of the Governing Council, said the visit was an opportunity to pay compliments to the former head of state for his foresight in according a dual status to the university.

    He said the university is serving the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the nation to advance learning and foster national unity.

  • UNIABUJA expels 54 students for misconduct

    UNIABUJA expels 54 students for misconduct

    The University of Abuja yesterday said it has expelled 54 students of the institution for involvement in examination misconduct.

     In a statement yesterday in Abuja by the Deputy Registrar (Information) of the institution, Mr. Waziri Garba, said that the decision to expel the students was approved by the Senate of the University.
     
    It added that the decision followed the recommendations by the central examination misconduct committee the senate set up earlier to investigate the allegations of examination malpractices against the students.
     
    The statement showed that 21 of the expelled students were from the Faculty of Social Science, 16 from Science, 11 from Education while 3 students each were expelled from the Faculties of Law and Management Sciences.
     
    The University, according to the statement, also approved the rustication of 19 students from the institution spanning various academic periods.
     
    The statement said that 14 of the students were rusticated for one academic session while five were rusticated for one semester and to carry over their courses.
     
    The statement reads: “Of those rusticated, seven were from the Faculty of Arts, four from Social Science, three each from the Faculties of Science and Education and two from the Faculty of Management Sciences.”
  • UNIABUJA honours Tinubu today

    UNIABUJA honours Tinubu today

    National Leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has bagged a Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) Honoris Causa of the University of Abuja.

    The award is to be conferred on the former governor of Lagos State at its 20th convocation today at its campus on Airport Road, Abuja at 10:00am.

    The award is coming exactly a week after Asiwaju Tinubu won the Man of the Year award of The Sun Newspapers.

  • UNIABUJA plugs into £25m grant

    The University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) is expected to benefit from a £25 million grant to Africa by Glaxo SmithKline, (GSK) London to conduct researches on sickle cell and hypertension.

    Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Michael Adikwu, in a statement, said that the institution had already set up a centre of excellence for sickle cell disease research and control headed by Dr Obiageli Nnodu.

    The statement issued by the Deputy Registrar (Information and Publications), Waziri Garba, said that the grant was for further research on the efficacy of three existing drugs for the management of hypertension.

    Adikwu received a team from GSK who visited the university’s teaching hospital to inspect facilities for a trial pharmaceutical laboratory which is expected to focus research on three combinations of medications namely: Amlodipine-Lisnopril, Lisnopril-Thiazide and Amlodipine- Thiazide for the treatment of hypertension cases.

    GSK Team Leader, Mrs. Ann Duffon, said the visit to the university followed the success of an application for grant to GSK for research into the non-communicable disease.

    Principal Investigator, Department of Internal Medicine, UNIABUJA, Dr. Oji Dike, said that the research on the combined drugs were to test for their effects in order to establish the best anti-hypertensive drugs for Africa.

     

  • UNN, UniAbuja, YabaTech, others under probe

    UNN, UniAbuja, YabaTech, others under probe

    Minister of Education Malam Adamu Adamu yesterday inaugurated ad hoc committees to investigate petitions on 10 tertiary institutions.

    Inaugurating the 10 ad hoc committees in Abuja, Adamu said the move was in response to allegations of abuse of due process, mismanagement, immorality, fraud and corruption, among others.

    The institutions are Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Kastina State; Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State; University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom, and Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State.

    Others are University of Abuja, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, University of Calabar; Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State; Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State and Yaba College of Technology, Lagos State.

    The minister said panels were set up in line with the Federal Government’s commitment to promoting due process, fairness, accountability and transparency in the control and management of public resources.

    Adamu said allegations and counter-claims made against governing councils and managements of the institutions had created mistrust and hostility and hindered the smooth conduct of academic activities.

    The terms of reference of the panels are “to carefully study and investigate allegations in the petitions on the institutions or individuals.

    “To seek to determine the veracity of claims and counter-claims by considering the circumstances and talking to as many witnesses as possible.

    “To meet and interview the writers of the petitions and establish the basis of their claims.

    “To ensure fair hearing by meeting with, and listening to explanations from all those against whom petitions have been written.”

    Adamu told the committees that the exercise was not meant to judge or witch-hunt anybody, adding that members were selected based on their track records of integrity.

    The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan, urged members to be courageous in carrying out their findings and making their recommendations.

    Responding on behalf of the chairmen and members of the ad hoc committees, Malam Salihu Abubukar thanked the ministry for the confidence reposed in them.

    He said their assignments was a heavy responsibility, which must be carried out with a sense of duty.

  • UNIABUJA plans pharmacy programme

    UNIABUJA plans pharmacy programme

    The University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) has commenced the process of establishing a school of Pharmacy as a complement to its College of Health Sciences.

    Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof Michael Adikwu, said this while inaugurating a six-man committee to work out modalities for the successful take-off of the Faculty Pharmaceutical Sciences programme.

    The VC in a statement issued by the Deputy Registrar (Information and Publications), Waziri Garba, said that the committee would utilize existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on academic matters between the university and the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Abuja, to facilitate the commencement of the pharmaceutical programme.

    Adikwu said that the committee headed by Prof U.A. Asunkwo of the College of Medical Sciences, would design an academic curriculum for the Faculty including details of how all levels of the students would receive their training within and outside the university, and provide a timeline for the possible commencement of studies.

    He noted that the four new programmes recently introduced by the institution, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Engineering and Agriculture, were on course having been approved by their professional bodies.

    The Vice-Chancellor also disclosed that the University Governing Council had approved the allocation of land to the Entomological Society of Nigeria on the main campus for the building of the National Secretariat of the Society.

    He said that part of the conditions for the provision of the land was that the society would provide lecture facilities within the secretariat for use by the university when completed as part of its corporate social responsibility.

     

  • NUC lifts ban on UniAbuja

    NUC lifts ban on UniAbuja

    • Approves five courses

    The National Universities Commission (NUC) has lifted the ban on admission into the programmes of the University of Abuja (UniAbuja) Centre for Distance Learning and Continuing Education (CDL&CE).

    The university’s distance learning programme failed a revalidation assessment by the NUC in 2012, resulting in the ban on admission into its courses for nearly two years.

    The lifting of the ban was in line with remarkable progress by the centre in addressing shortcomings that necessitated the ban.

    The Executive Secretary of NUC, Professor Julius Okojie, in a letter to the Vice- Chancellor of the University, Professor Michael Adikwu, dated October 12, said that the moratorium placed on admission into the university’s centre had been lifted.

    The development, Okojie explained, was following a recommendation by a panel constituted by the commission for an on-site assessment, which concluded the exercise between September 2 and 5, 2015.

    A statement yesterday by the university’s Deputy Registrar (Information and Publications), Waziri Garba, said that the commission approved that: “the moratorium on admission of students into the five (5) approved programmes be lifted and academic work may commence for 2015/2016 academic session.”

    The five programmes approved to commence academic activities include B.Sc. Economics, Sociology, Political Science, Business Administration and Public Administration.

    The NUC boss advised the university to address other deficiencies pointed out in the technical report comprehensively before the expiration of the session.

    This, he said, will boost the Centre’s bid to secure full re-validation status for all the courses.

    He added that a desk officer had been appointed by the NUC to follow up on the revalidation of outstanding deficiencies to ensure success.

    Commenting on the development, the Vice Chancellor UniAbuja, Professor Michael Adikwu, and the Director of the university’s Centre for Distance Learning and Continuing Education, Professor Peter Siyan, said plans were underway to reinvigorate the distance learning component of the institution with a view to regaining the confidence of critical stakeholders.