The National Universities Commission, NUC, on Wednesday granted provisional licence to Benue State University of Agriculture, Science and Technology, BSUAST, bringing the number of state owned universities to 68 and the total number in Nigeria to 299.
The newly licenced institution, becomes the second state-owned university and is located at Ihugh in Vandeikaya local government area, Benue State.
NUC Executive Secretary, Prof Abdullahi Ribadu, presented the licence to Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, represented by the Deputy Governor, Samuel Ode.
Ribadu while advising the delegation on the tenets of running an effective university, said it must live up to its billing of churning out graduates that would contribute to food security for the country.
He said the institution must partner with the NUC whenever they encounter any hiccups, adding that the management should write to the regulatory authority, NUC to conduct resource verification and map out relevant programmes it intends to start with for accreditation.
According to Ribadu, with the right mentorship and funding, Benue State University of Agriculture, Science and Technology should become the best university for agriculture, science and technology in the country, in no distant time.
Alia’s representative, Ode, in his remarks, said the quest for quality education remains a top priority for the people of Benue State, assuring that the state will pursue this cause with zeal.
“We will continue to patner with NUC to develop the broad mandate of the regulatory commission which oversees all Universities in Nigeria. We shall never disappoint you regarding this mandate,”;; Alia stated.
