The Federal Government just went ahead and granted the license for the Benue State University of Agriculture, Science, and Technology (BSUAST) to be established, making it the newest State University in Nigeria. This news brings the total number of state universities to a whopping 68, with 299 federal universities sprinkled across the country. The big guy in charge at the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, was the one to hand over the operational licenses to the Deputy Governor of Benue, Barr Sam Odeh. And get this, the Deputy Governor was standing in for Governor Hyacinth Alia, who couldn’t make it to the party in Abuja on Wednesday.
It seems like the NUC boss, Prof. Ribadu, is really feeling this move, calling it a bold and strategic step that will do wonders for the youth, the workforce, and knowledge-driven development in the state. He’s out here reminding government officials to make sure they’ve got instructors, faculty members, and students who are all on the same page. Oh, and they better be pushing for top-notch technical education, research excellence, and good governance too. Basically, he’s saying, “Hey, let’s make this university shine like a diamond in a sea of rocks.”
Governor Hyacinth Alia seems to have caught the enthusiasm bug as well, promising to tackle the new university’s mission with all the enthusiasm in the world. He’s even assuring the Commission that Benue State will have all the necessary bells and whistles in place to help the university reach academic completion in no time. The Governor is all about agriculture being the big cheese in the state’s economy, with education right behind it. He’s convinced that this new university will be the answer to all the agricultural needs of the state, cooking up programs and projects that will hit the spot for food production. So, yeah, it looks like Benue State is all set to make some major moves in the education and agriculture game.
