By; HABIBU UMAR AMINU
Dearth of resources has always been the bane of growth and development of any institution or government World-Wide. Scarcity is a basic economic and development problem. It is a gap between limited resources and competing demands.
Hence, the need for prudent management of such scares resources. Nigerian Universities are not immune to such phenomena as running cost of each of such citadel of knowledge is alarming giving the competing needs for electricity and power, laboratory chemicals for teaching and research, fuelling of vehicles and generators amongst others.
All these demands are on the first line charges for continuous running of any University.
Federal University Dutsin-Ma (FUDMA) located in Katsina State is not however, immune to these challenges but what is more appealing and interesting was the ability of our Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Armaya’u Hamisu Bichi to weather the storm by not only conquering these challenges but in his prudency of managing such scares resources. FUDMA under the leadership of Prof. Bichi is not only relying on Federal allocation as most Vice-Chancellors do for provision of infrastructure and other services do, but optimally utilising its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to sustain the development and growth of the young university.
Since the establishment of FUDMA in 2012, a lot of achievements have been recorded mostly on infrastructures provided through the Federal Governments TetFund interventions. However, a new trend of leadership is being witnessed since the emergence of Prof. Bichi through effective and prudent utilisation of such IGR of the University that are carefully and judiciously used in the provision of infrastructures and other social services.
Despite been the lowest charging student registration fees institution in the country, Prof. Bichi through such IGR was able to accomplished the following; Three (3) female students’ hostels with each having a capacity of 360 bed space, two (2) 250 seats capacity auditoriums, two (2) storey building blocks the University Staff Junior Secondary School, A Multi-Purpose Laboratory as well as many other structures that are at various stages of completion.
Aside this, Prof. Bichi was able to through strategic partnerships and linkages with friends, colleagues and well-wishers brought other good tidings to the university especially in areas of scholarships, buses, solar lightening, feeder roads, office buildings amongst others.
All these are visible for any Doubting Thomas to come and see for themselves.
FUDMA under Prof. Bichi’s tenure is witnessing one of its largest expansion from academic to infrastructures.
From a modest beginning of only three faculties and a student population of 281, FUDMA presently has a College of Health Sciences, A School of Post-Graduate Studies, 14 Faculties with 58 departments, School of Continuing Education as well as a Distance Learning Centre.
Only recently, the National Universities Commission (NUC) approved 44 courses made up of 23 Undergraduate and 21 Post-Graduate courses.
A state of the art functional Entrepreneur Centre that is fully equipped to train students with various skills for self-reliance. What is more important to note is that Prof. Bichi has ensured that the University academic calendar is up to date as 2023/2024 academic session commenced in October 2023 last year.
For us in FUDMA, Prof. Bichi’s leadership saw the winning of research grants among which was that of a N32 million naira from the National Research Foundation (NRF), Pretoria, South Africa on “Trans Disciplinary Research on Pathways to Sustainable Collaborative Research Action’’, Another N35.1 million for ‘’ Automated Radiotherapy Treatment Planning Aid’’ amongst others.
It is equally laudable to note that FUDMA as per 2022 NUC university ranking occupies a good position among Nigerian Universities. As a matter of fact, FUDMA is placed First on Effective Teaching Ranking Index.
With just about four years in the saddle of leadership of the university and the numerous achievements recorded under his tenure one will not be out of place to say Prof. Bichi is a Gold Fish that has no hiding space as everything Bichi touches turn to gold.
Habibu Aminu, is the PRO, Federal University Dutsinma
