By Correspondent in Lokoja
The National University Commission, (NUC) has accredited 24 new programmes for Kogi State University Anyigba,the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof.Marietu Ohunene Tenuche,has disclosed.
The VC,who made the disclosure at her maiden news conference at the Senate building of the University in Anyigba, added that NUC gave official authorisation to the courses concerned,recently, barely one year that she assumed office as the 5th Vice Chancellor of the University, established in 1999.
Giving a breakdown of the accredited programmes,Tenuche further revealed that the commission approved 19 under graduate programmes and five post graduate programmes.
She said:”The greatest problem the University has ever faced,since establishment, was the accreditation debacle.
” In 2005 for instance, the University presented all the 30 programmes it was running then to the NUC for accreditation; and only 9 were granted accreditation, all on interim basis, while the remaining 21 were not accreditated.
“The institution was to later make history as it had 29 programmes accredited by the National
Universities Commission (NUC) within 29 months. Since then, the University has had all her programmes accredited, with the exception of the medical programme which had denied accreditation in 2015.”
On the prevailing security situation in the institution, Prof Tenuche said the university had, not quite long ago, attracted “bad press” due mainly to the activities of rival cult groups in and out of campus.
” A number of students were injured or killed in the process in addition to series of attacks and intimidations launched against some members of staff of the institution, especially the examination officers.
“A student was killed by this wicked group shortly after he finished his examination. I don’t know if he is a cult member, but one disturbing thing is that,after killing him,they went ahead to cut him into pieces.One of our lecturers is in a critical condition as I speak.
” This was a challenge to the management, in addition to low morale among security personnel, necessitated by high level of indiscipline in the Security Unit, inadequate security operatives, unavailability of functional vehicles, porous and unmanned entry points and wide spread availability of arms amongst students which they deployed at will.
“We, therefore, devised means of tackling the situation head long, including the immediate purchase of two vehicles for the security unit and one for the Chief Security Coordinator, to facilitate operational movements in and around the campus”
Prof Tenuche,who warned that any lecturer caught inducing female students to get grade, among other corrupt tendencies, stressed that “We won’t entertain any form of sex for mark, cultism or any other social vice. Any one found wanting in this scrupulous act will be shown the exit door.”
The VC added that the issue of sex for mark, examination malpractice and other social vices had been nipped in the bud by the present management of the university, adding that it also improved on its internally generated revenue efforts.
The Professor of Political Science and boss of the 22-year-old University, expressed the determination of the institution to achieve the height of being the best University in Nigeria, Africa and world in general.
Our correspondent reports that before the news conference,Tenuche and her management team had taken Journalists round on a facility tour of the Department of Human anatomy, physiology, faculty of agriculture, department of art education, faculty of law, newly completed Social science office complex,library, hostels, and entrepreneurship centres among others areas.
