Non-accreditation of courses cripples activities at Plateau university

This is a challenging time for the nine-year-old Plateau State University, Bokkos. One, the fate of its pioneer students, who are due to graduate from the school in less than four months, remains uncertain. Reason: none of the courses that they offer has received accreditation from any of the relevant authorities. So for the students, it is a story of shattered dreams, lost hopes and dashed ambitions.

Two, its key stakeholders are fighting for the soul of the ivory tower. From its Pro-Chancellor, Prof. Sam Ale; to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Danjuma Sheni; and the students, the recurring theme in the lately re-christened Solomon Lar University is rancour and acrimony. In other words, the hallowed academic community is now under threat by what some people will describe as primordial sentiments and hate.

Established by the administration of former Governor Joshua Dariye nine years ago, the initial idea of the founding fathers, apart from providing quality education, was that the university would complement the University of Jos, supposedly overburdened by admission requirements, especially from its catchment areas.

The implementation committee of the university was led by Prof. John Wade, who later became the pioneer vice-chancellor with professors Ochapa Onazi as the pro-chancellor and Daniel Saror as the Chairman of the Governing Council. On the council were also erudite professors, academics and scholars.

Such was the high hopes that heralded the birth of the institution, which was to offer such courses as arts, environmental sciences, management sciences, natural and applied sciences and social sciences. To realise its dream, the university, within a short time, established linkages with some well-known universities both at home and abroad.

However, this lofty vision had not fully come through, when, on September 7, 2007, shortly after assumption of office, Governor Jonah Jang directed the suspension of academic activities in the institution. Jang cited inadequate preparation before its take-off as the reason for shutting the institution.

The school, the governor added, did not have the requisite materials – work force (especially academic staff) and physical infrastructure to function as a university and hence the government needed to put certain things in place for a befitting university.

With the government directive, more than 500 pioneer students of the school had their dreams cut short. Though UNIJOS later reabsorbed some of them, others were not that lucky.

Despite all appeals and reports of the visitation panels set up by both the National Universities Commission and the state government, the university was in limbo for the next three years. By the time it reopened in 2010, there was not even an additional block to the existing infrastructure, nor a fresh member of staff recruited to justify the reason for the initial closure. Interestingly, the state government appointed Prof. Nenfort Gomwalk, who headed the restructuring panel, as the vice-chancellor thereafter.

Four years gone, the story of the university has not changed. With the expiration of the tenure of Gomwalk and the appointment of Sheni as the VC and Ale, the immediate past Director-General of the National Mathematical Centre, Abuja, as the council chairman, the university has yet to hit the ground running.

Most shocking is the revelation that close to a decade after its establishment and ahead of its maiden graduation, none of the courses that the university offers has full accreditation.

It is therefore not surprising that there is division among concerned stakeholders over the challenges facing the university. While some blame the VC and the state government for the inadequacies, others laid the culpability on the doorsteps of the university’s governing council chairman. In fact, the latter school of thought accuses Ale of high handedness and undue interference in the day-to-day running of the university.

They further accuse him of taking over the constitutional functions of the VC and chasing pecuniary favours instead of promoting the growth of the university.

Indeed, one of the concerned stakeholders who refused to be named, says, “The sole responsibility of the governing council of a university is to formulate policies and ensure smooth running of the university on a day-to-day basis, with a vice-chancellor as Chief Executive. But the present leadership of the council has abandoned its responsibilities and concentrated on ‘hijacking and administering’ the university directly. For example, the pro-chancellor undertook to sign the appointment letters of all principal officers instead of the VC.

“This is gross usurpation of the powers of the VC, which has even created insubordination to the VC by some of the principal officers whose total allegiance is to the pro-chancellor instead of the vice-chancellor who they are supposed to be directly accountable to. This is a dangerous development and a threat to the corporate existence of the university.

“Furthermore, in his divide-and-rule tactics, the pro-chancellor often by-passes the VC and deals directly with the university registrar in summoning meetings and preparing agenda for such meetings.”

Another stakeholder, who also craved anonymity for fear of victimisation, alleges, “The certificates from the university will not receive recognition, just as they are untenable for securing any meaningful employment and admissions for further studies as stipulated by the NUC due to the non-accreditation.”

The non-accreditation, he also notes, will in the long run affect the state in terms of skills and workforce development.

Beyond these commentators, a group, the Plateau Frontier, has petitioned the anti-graft body, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, alleging some misdemeanour against the pro-chancellor. The PF, in a petition obtained by our correspondent, accuses him of interfering with the awards of contracts and procurement, contrary to the stipulated rules and regulations.

For instance, it was learnt that the attempt by the VC to challenge the award of contract for the building of the university library brought him in collision with the pro-chancellor.

Asked to comment on some of the allegations, the university registrar, Mr. Kim, says he will not speak on the issues. He also refuses to comment on the non-accreditation of the courses run by the university.

“I would not like to be drawn into it,” he told our correspondent in a telephone interview. He also did not honour requests for an extensive interview .

A senior lecturer in the university also expresses worry at the development in the institution. According to him, the university, at present, runs as a family business as if the purpose is to give some people absolute control of its affairs.

The don, who spoke anonymously, adds, “It is a pity what is happening here because what the founding fathers of the university envisaged was that it would act as fillip to the efforts of UNIJOS, which, since 1975, has been the only federal university in the state. States that established their own universities before PLASU have surpassed us in many respects. Bauchi, Gombe, Nasarawa and Jigawa, name them, have all established solid foundations for their universities.

““Over 99 per cent of what was written in the petition is true. Some of us are lying low because, as I am talking to you, security agents are all over the campus, trying to know the source of the information. The open letter has achieved its purpose because there is jubilation in the school as some of these atrocities have been exposed.

But Ale, while speaking to our correspondent, dismisses all the allegations against him, saying they are not true. According to him, all the names in the petition are neither those of staff nor students of the university. He, nonetheless, adds that the institution is taking steps to clear the air on the issue.

Ale says, “We are cross-checking the issues. The writers and the names are fictitious and they are neither staff nor students. Meanwhile, be assured that it is a bunch of lies.”

However at a meeting of the council last Tuesday, it was gathered, members expressed unhappiness at the gravity of the petition and the damage it might cause the university.

The pro-chancellor also confirms the meeting, saying the university will soon come up with its position on the matter.

But as those at the helm of affairs in the university try to dismiss the allegations, the fate of the students still hangs in the balance and they are spoiling for a showdown with the authorities.

One of the students, who simply called himself Pukat, says, “As of now, our fate is not certain. I hope we do not suffer the same fate that the pioneer students suffered when their programmes had to be suspended. We are happy that the academic forum has brought the issue to the front burner.”

The state Commissioner for Education, Dr. Nanle Dashen, says all the issues raised are within the ambits of the governing council to address. He adds, “You know the university has autonomy and that it has been carved out of the bureaucracy of the ministry. That is why it has a governing council. Unless there is a policy issue that the government should address, only then can the government come in to examine it.

Tweet