UNIJOS VC decries alleged encroachment by herders

Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, Professor Sebastian Maimako, has decried the ‘frequent encroachment’ into the institution’s property by herdsmen

He said: “From issues of acute infrastructure deficit, inadequate funding and manpower to the security breaches and frequent encroachment into the university’s property among others; it behooves on our stakeholders, including the alumni, various tiers and agencies of government, beneficiary communities and especially our proprietor – the Federal Government – to join us in our concerted efforts to squarely address these challenges.”

Addressing newsmen ahead of the institution’s 29th and 30th combined convocation holding at the weekend in Jos, Maimako stated: “We don’t have funds to secure our property and that is why people are encroaching into them.”

He went on: “A vital ingredient for the success being recorded by the university is the unwavering focus it places on providing high quality teaching based on high quality research.

“We are being driven by the passion to always achieve more and enhance our reputation nationally and internationally.

For this reason, we have always ensured that the academic programmes being run in the university are relevant to the needs of people within the institution’s catchment area and the country at large by providing an excellent balance between the essential principles of theorem and the practical applications of scientific, innovative or creative endeavour.

“These programmes are tailored to produce critical manpower with the requisite skills to make them future titans in their chosen fields.

Within the past year, the National Universities Commission (NUC) undertook an accreditation exercise for a qualitative assessment of 20 academic programmes in the university.

The technical report released by the NUC indicates that 17 of the affected programmes secured full accreditation status while three were denied recognition.”

Maimako further said: “The programmes given full accreditation are Guidance and Counselling; English Education; French Education; History Education; Religious Studies; Social Studies, Special Education; Architecture; and Building.

Others include Medicine and Surgery; Pharmacy; Computer Science; Geology; Microbiology; Zoology; Geography and Regional Planning; as well as Mass Communication.”