By John Akinfehinwa
The National Universities Commission, (NUC) has accredited 24 new programmes for Kogi State University Anyigba.
This is in addition to the 29 existing programmes of the institution.
The Vice-Chancellor, Kogi State University, Prof Marietu Ohunene Tenuche disclosed this on Friday at her maiden press briefing held at the senate building of the University in Anyigba.
Prof. Tenuche said the programmes were accredited recently barely one year she assumed office as the 5th Vice-Chancellor of Kogi State University since it was established in 1999.
The Vice-Chancellor said 19 of the newly accredited programmes are undergraduate courses while five others are for postgraduates.
“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 nine (9) of such programmes were granted accreditation, all on an interim basis.
“The remaining twenty-one (21) had denied accreditation. 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″ she added.
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.
Tenuche said ”A number of students were injured or killed in the process, in addition to series of attacks and intimidations launched against the 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 they still 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 a high level of indiscipline in the Security Unit, inadequate security operatives, unavailability of functional vehicles, porous and unmanned entry points and widespread availability of arms amongst students which they deployed at will. We, therefore, devised means of tackling the
situation head-on, 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.”
Speaking further, Prof Tenuche warned that any lecturer caught inducing female students to get good grades will be dismissed.
“As I will always say, we are in charge here. We won’t entertain any form of sex for mark, cultism or any other social vice. Anyone found wanting in this scrupulous act will be shown the exit door” she warned.
The university VC also noted that the present administration has improved in its internally generated revenue adding that the issue of sex for mark, examination malpractice and other social vices have been nipped in the board by the present management.
Prof Tenuche who is the 5th vice-chancellor of the University explained that the university is determined to achieve the height of the best University Nigeria, Africa and the world in general.
