Bauchi State University
| BASUG | |
| Motto | Ilimi Tushen Cigaba "Knowledge is the Foundation of Progress" |
|---|---|
| Type | Public |
| Established | 2011 |
| Vice-Chancellor | Professor Ezzeldin Muktar Abdurahman |
| Students | 2314 |
| Location | Gadau, with other campuses in Misau and Bauchi, Bauchi State, Nigeria |
| Website | http://www.basug.edu.ng |
Bauchi State University Gadau (BASUG) is located in Bauchi State in Nigeria. Its main campus is in Gadau, with other campuses in Misau and Bauchi.
The initiative to establish the Bauchi State University started as a result of the realisation of the need to cater for the increasing number of applicants of the State origin seeking admission into Universities. Bauchi State Government realised that the challenge of the State's future development is Inevitably linked to the development of Its human capital as a basis for the full exploitation of its vast natural resources. Thus, the Bauchi State University shall launch the State into a new path of rapid socio-cultural, economic and industrial growth in the context of the much desired rapid and even development of Nigeria as an important Imperative for social and political harmony in the nation.
History
Brief Information About Bauchi State
Bauchi State was created in 1976 to become one of the 19 States then in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. With the creation of additional States in later years, Bauchi is today one of the 36 federating states in the country. Salient information about Bauchi State includes:
i. Population - 4,676,465 (2006 Census);
ii. Landmass - 49,359 km2;
iii. Political set up - there are 20 Local Government Council areas with a pluralistic make up of up to 55 ethnic groups;
iv. Geography/climate - the State lies within 90 and 120 North and 90 and 110 East in the Northern Sudan and Sahelian vegetation zones of Nigeria. Rainfall ranges from 1300 mm in the southern part to 700 mm per annum in the north falling mostly between the months of May and September;
v. Occupation - about 90% of the population are peasant crop and livestock producers living in the rural areas;
vi. Other natural resources - Bauchi State is richly endowed with several natural resources including precious metals and precious clays and stones, and a rich variety of flora and fauna making it the home of Nigeria's premier wildlife reserve; and
vii. Tradition and culture - the pluralistic make-up of the State explains the richness of its multi-cultural heritage in arts, music pageantry, and festivals throughout the year. The people of the State are deeply religious and adherents of the two major religions of Islam and Christianity.
State Of Education In Bauchi State
Compared to many States, especially those in southern Nigeria, 8auchi State belongs to those parts described as 'educationally disadvantaged'. However, in the last decade or so, and with the special Federal assistance, 8auchi State has made giant strides in the development of education in the State from primary through secondary to tertiary education.
Primary
Primary school enrolment has continued to improve in the State. The figure stands at about 600,000 pupils in the 2010/11 school year. The estimated number of primary school teachers stands at 16,227 presently.
Secondary
8auchi State has about 90 secondary schools with a total student enrolment of about 250,000. The number of final year secondary school students has increased from 6,854 in 1999 to 70,000 in 2010. In addition, in order to uplift the academic preference of its students, especially at the secondary school learning certificate, 8auchi State further established special schools as model schools for the intensive learning of the students, one at Kafin Madaki for girls and two others at Azare and Toro. The special schools have a total enrolment of about 1,700 at present. These are yielding positive results with 100% passes at credit level in both WAEC and NECO.
This trend is an encouraging sign that Bauchi State Government needs to promote greater opportunities for tertiary education including establishing a University if the indigenes of the State are to remain abreast and at par with their counterparts in other parts of the country.
Post-Secondary
There are four Bauchi State owned post-secondary institutions in the State:
(i) A.D. Rufa'i College of Legal and Islamic Studies, Misau;
(ii) College of Education, Azare;
(iii) College of Administration and Business Studies Azare; and
(iv) Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, Bauchi.
It has a Federal Polytechnic and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University both in Bauchi town.
Rationale for the Establishment of the University
At independence in 1960 Nigeria had only one University College at Ibadan, which was an affiliate of the University of London. The Ashby Commission set up in 1959 to advise Nigerian Government on the then and future need for tertiary education opportunities in Nigeria recommended the establishment of what is today referred to as 'First Generation Universities' - University of Ibadan, University of Ife, University of Lagos, and Ahmadu 8ello University, Zaria. However, in 1960 the first indigenous University, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, was established by the defunct Government of Eastern Nigeria. The projections in the Ashby Commission report, especially on student enrolment and course offerings in relation to the realities of Nigeria's manpower needs, were found, by early 1970s, to be grossly unrealistic. Then came the justification of establishing the so-called 'Second Generation Universities' in the 1970s. By early 1980s, the Federal Government tried to establish a University in each of the then 19 States in the country. In spite of all these, the pressure for more tertiary education continued especially in the parts of Nigeria, mostly in the south, which is considered to be educationally more advantaged. This led to the liberalization of Federal monopoly on establishing Universities allowed States with the ability and the means to establish their own Universities. Soon this was to be followed by a further liberalization to allow for the establishment of private Universities but under the regulatory control of the National Universities Commission (NUC). Today, five decades after independence, Nigeria has moved from having just one University College to about 37, 38 and 50 Federal, State and private Universities.
Despite this phenomenal growth, we are likely to continue to witness the establishment of more and more Universities by the Federal and State Governments as well as by private individuals. This is because the number of minimally qualified students continues to grow from the nation's secondary schools which are still expanding their intake from the primary school system where up to 50% of children of primary school going age are still out of school. Even at present only about 20% of applicants to Universities in the country succeed in getting admission.
Efforts to Establish Bauchi State University 2007 - Date
The initial effort to establish a University by the Bauchi State Government was started earlier in 2007 when a Planning and Implementation Committee was inaugurated by the former State Governor, Ahmad Adamu Muazu. After a lull of almost two years, His Excellency, Governor (Dr.) Isa Yuguda, in October 2008, set up another committee to resume the effort by first reviewing the report submitted by the 2007 committee. By June 2009 an Implementation Committee, building on the previous committee's work, proceeded as follows:
i. pursued the acquisition of and/or improvement of the three sites which forms the campuses of the Bauchi State University at Gadau (Azare), Misau, and Bauchi;
ii. based on the Committee's recommendations, Bauchi State Government proceeded to award several contracts for the renovation, upgrading, of Gadau, Misau, and Bauchi campuses at which the Bauchi State University would commence academic activities in the 2011/12 session;
iii. Bauchi State Government also engaged a Lagos-based firm to produce the Bauchi State University 'Academic Brief, a 'Master Plan' and a 'Strategic Plan' to cover the entire 25 years of its 5-phase development plan;
iv. the law establishing the University was passed by the Bauchi State House of Assembly and assented to by the Governor of the State, Mal. (Dr.) Isa Yuguda on 31 December 2010; and
v. Bauchi State Government in March 2011, appointed a Consultant to resolve all outstanding issues and put finishing touches necessary for the smooth takeoff of the University to commence academic programme in the 2011/12 session.
The University Sites
It has been decided that the Bauchi State University shall be a multi-campus University. At takeoff the campuses shall be sited at:
i. Gadau (Azare), which shall be the main campus and home to the University's apex administration;
il. Misau Campus; and
iii. Bauchi Campus.
When the University commences activities in the 2011/12 session and up to the end of the first phase the pioneer faculties and the School of Basic and Remedial Studies shall be located as follows:
Gadau Campus
i. Faculty of Arts and Education
ii. Faculty of Medicine
iii. Faculty of Science
iv. School of Basic and Remedial Studies
Misau Campus
i. Faculty of Law
Bauchi Campus
i. Faculty of Social and Management Sciences
By the end of fourth phase (2026/27 - 2030/31) the Bauchi State University is expected to have the following faculties:
Gadau Campus
i. Faculty of Arts
ii. Faculty of Education
iii. Faculty of Medicine
iv. Faculty of Science
v. School of Basic and Remedial Studies
vi. Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Misau Campus
i. Faculty of Law
ii. Faculty of Agriculture
iii. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Bauchi Campus
i. Faculty of Management Sciences
ii. Faculty of Social Sciences
iii. Faculty of Engineering
iv. Faculty of Environmental Sciences
References
- ↑ "National Universities Commission". National Universities Commission,Nigeria. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
- ↑ "Bauchi State University". 4International Campuses and Universities. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
Bauchi State University "Academic-Brief 2011/12-2020/21" Volume I, Feb. 2013
