The Vice Chancellor, Nasarawa State University Keffi (NSUK), Professor Suleiman Bala Mohammed, has disclosed that plans are underway for the institution to commence admitting students into the Faculty of Engineering, as well as the College of Medicine.

Prof Mohammed made this known when he hosted the organizing committee for the Nasarawa U-13 football championship, led by Hon. Aliyu Bello, Chairman, Aliyu Bello Charity Foundation, at the Senate Chamber of the university, on Monday.

The Vice Chancellor used the opportunity of the visit to disclose that NSUK will soon commence academic activities at the faculty of engineering, specifically in three courses namely civil engineering, electrical/electronics and mechanical engineering.

He added that, the newly established college of medicine is also getting set to admit students, with the college commencing academic activities in two new courses namely health information management and community health.

The Vice chancellor emphasized that the university is awaiting the outcome of recent resource verification conducted by the National Universities Commission (NUC), which he assured was favourable and would lead to the flagging off of academic activities at the new faculty of engineering and college of medicine.

“Let me use the liberty of this interaction to inform you that we have done our resource reverification for our faculty of engineering. We are are going to have three programmes. We are going to have BSc Civil Engineering, Electrical and electronics and mechanical engineering. The NUC has come and they have resource verified. What we are waiting for is the outcome of that visit.

“As soon the outcome is known, we are going to admit students. Our college of medicine is also starting but it’s not starting with MBBS. It’s starting with health information management and community health.

“We have realized that these are programmes you hardly see in Nigerian universities. Very few universities offer these courses so we decided to offer them. We have had the programmes resource verified and as soon as the result is out we will also admit students,” the VC stated.

Prof Mohammed commended the Aliyu Bello Charity Foundation for initiating the football competition among pupils of primary schools across the state, describing it as an excellent and well thought out concept.

“It’s an excellent concept, well thought out. It will give children the opportunity to socialize, it will create the network of friendship among the participants. Most importantly, it’s a game, there will be solidarity, there will be friendship. And the most important of all, new talents will be discovered,” he stated.

He assured support for the organizing committee while also restating the commitment of the university to always proffer admission to qualified beneficiaries of the Aliyu Bello Charity Foundation.

Earlier, in an opening remarks, Hon Aliyu Bello, Chairman, Aliyu Bello Charity Foundation and organizers of the Nasarawa U-13 football competition, said the initiative aimed at discovering new talents that abound in the state.

“As we may all be aware, when most of us were either in our primary or secondary schools, there was what we called inter primary or secondary sport competition. That is were hidden talents, players like Ali JJ, Sani Adamu, Daniel Amokachi, Tijani Babangida were discovered. All that have vanished.

“The only environment where sports thrive presently is at the tertiary institutions. That is why Nigeria or Nasarawa State is doing poorly in every national or global competition.
“The charity organisation believed that when we were in Plateau State, there was what we call under 13 football competition that people from the primary schools were selected to represent various local governments.

“So the Aliyu Bello Charity Foundation decided to seek collaboration with other government agencies. We believe that apart from oil that is being discovered because of the visionary leadership of His Excellency, Engineer Abdullahi Sule in Obi and Keana, other talents abound across the state which the Charity Foundation will also discover,” Aliyu Bello stated.

The initiative has already been made part of activities lined up for the second term inauguration of Engineer Sule/Dr Emmanuel Akabe, with the final slated for May 27th, also marking the international day of the child.