By Sylvanus Viashima
JALINGO – Professor Sunday Bako, the Vice Chancellor of Taraba State University is championing a transformational evolution at the University to position it as a 21st century citadel of academic excellence in all ramifications. Part of the efforts is the introduction of TSU Bread which has become a favourite confectioneries shelf on the stands in most shops in Taraba State.
For Mrs Eunice of Eunice Wines Shop, one of the state’s most popular wine bar, located along Hammaruwa Way, Jalingo, the state capital, it is one of the products she is pleased with, not only on its patronage potentials, but also its role in her family dietary needs.
“Aside from the fact that TSU bread has a business-friendly value, by way of buyers’ delight, it is a confectionary of choice in our family breakfast. It’s very nice to eat, more so that one loaf of its family size talks care of my family’s breakfast needs” she told our reporter.
TSU potable Table water is another product that competes for space, ranking shoulder to shoulder with other products in the state’s market environment.
The University is also into the production of mushroom, an uncommon fruits specie, which Professor Jerome Nyame, an expert on entrepreneur development describes the initiative as exploring the virgin market that no one has exploited.
“The Vice Chancellor, Professor Sunday Paul Bako is a scientist and he came with the idea of the mushroom farm. Mushroom has mineral and protein value and no one has started it before now. With the proper awareness, a lot of people will prefer to substitute from protein to mushrooms and it is a virgin market that no one has exploited.” He said.
The University also has its eyes on social investment, when it has established a FM Radio, right in the Senate Building of the University.
The General Manager of the Station, Sanusi Bako, told our reporter that the station has so far trained not less than 200 students in broadcast journalism, as well as multimedia aspect of the broadcasting.
“As you aware the campus broadcast station is saddled with the responsibility principally to train students in broadcasting and other related fields like engineering, information technology, creative art language skills, drama and others. Also, to provide training opportunity for practical experience as well as promoting social well-being within the campus community, so it has impacted positively on the Mass Communication Department particularly in the area of training” he added.
The importance of entrepreneurial activities in the University cannot be over emphasized, just as Professor Jerome Nyame captured it graphically. When he told our reporter in an exclusive chat that: “by the nature of our country today, it is necessary for every university to turn to entrepreneurial approach and think TSU is one of the universities that has adopted this change and integrated entrepreneurship into learning of students.
“The university has made it compulsory that every student must learn a trade as a course. Meaning that at the end of your studies you have your core knowledge and skills. The essence of the skills is not for them to directly practice but to have knowledge that with little resources, they can mobilize and start their business and still practice their core areas which have been trained in school” he stated.
In the academic sphere, which is the core mandate of the University, Professor Sunday Paul Bako’s ingenuous approach is manifesting in very positive and encouraging dimensions. Issues that picketed the gate of the University’s academic life, like a protesting labour, thereby hindering the smooth sail of programs and projects are being kicked away.
Before the coming of Professor Bako on Board as the Vice Chancellor, examinations were passing through some cumbersome processes. In the General Studies department of the University for example, students were having a hectic time with myriads of challenges, ranging from overcrowding of exam halls to inadequate facilities like computers and examination halls. But now, Professor John Ajai, the Director of General Studies, told our reporter that it is no bossiness as usual.
“Before then, the environment was not befitting of a university system. Our GST exams are Computer Based Test. The situation was such that when it comes to exams, students come when they feel like. The first exam I conducted as director came with a very nasty experience. On the first day we left the exam centre at about 10pm. The second day we left 11pm. So, I sat with my colleagues, the GST directorates. We had to bring what is obtainable in other universities and we started the reforms.
“With the support and cooperation from the management we recorded tremendous success. I can boast that with these 300 computers, we took up to 4000 students. We did it in batches from 8am-5pm. We have introduced a biometric system because we realized that there were cases of non-students coming in to write exams for others. So instead of punishing offenders, we made a situation where there are no offenders.
The biometric helps us verify you to ensure that you are a student and you are supposed to take the exam in question. And also, you can only take the exam at the time allowed to you during the batching so it’s no longer business as usual. A student cannot cut corners” he emphasized.
The biggest leap in the Professor Bako’s profile of achievements within the two years tenure is the accreditation of courses, which is described as the highest in Nigeria universities accreditation history. Not fewer than 53 programmes were presented to the National University Commission for accreditation at a time.
According to the Director Academic Planning, Taraba State University, Prof. Suleiman, “53 programs is the highest number of programs any university presented in Nigeria.”
“Universities like university of Benin, if I’m not mistaken, presented 48, some universities presented 37 and all that. But in an environment where there was no money, where there were no adequate resources, our Vice was able to take the bull by the horn and make sure that the fifty-three programs underwent program accreditation” he stated.
With Professor Sunday Bako, the University is running 72 programmes, 44 departments, 10 faculties as against the 20 programmes that the University started with, eight years ago. At present, the University has activated a process to mount the MBBS program where it will be able to locally produce doctors. This development will service the medical needs of Taraba state people; reduce the medical deficiencies that linger in the medical cycle, within and outside the state.
Highlight of achievements, especially in the two years of Prof Bako’s tenure and Vice Chancellor include, the renovated a 960 Bed space female hostel, which has been upgraded to the best standard with all the relevant facilities. The popular Hall 22, Faculty of Education, as well as Health Science buildings, were also renovated. Other places that got a face lift include integrated class 15, and the school clinic, which have been upgraded to a standard that is befitting of a University.
In terms of revenue generation, which is aimed at diversifying its sources, the University is producing its own bottle and sachet water, even as it’s Bakery is functional optimally, producing a quality of bread that is adjudged the best in the state’s confectionary market. The University is also into Mushroom farming, for dietary, research and commercial purposes. Within the time under review, TSU Press is revived and is being optimally utilized.
Considering the consequence of erratic power supply, the University has adopted the use of solar energy for the Central Library and the CBT Centre. It has also embarked on tree planting in and around the University, in line with global realities. As if these are not enough, the University have established and secured a license for an FM radio station on campus, for training of broadcast journalist, information dissemination and revenue generation.
Professor Bako also introduced the use technology in carrying out the activities of the institution. With this initiative, zoom meetings and conferencing are utilized, without necessarily converging in a hall or space for meetings. With technological innovation, some students adopt online and zoom platforms for their lectures. This is just but to mention a few, the achievements of Professor Bako, in his two-year period as Vice Chancellor, Taraba State University.
The Director of Academic Planning, also spoke extensively on the Taraba State University that Professor Sunday Paul Bako led leadership is striving to build.
“We want to be a force to reckon with as far as university education is concerned in the African continent. We want a university that can set the pace that can be a trailblazer to it within the academic space. Presently, we have 72 programs in our coffer. God helping us before the end of the year, those 72 programs will metamorphose into 100. This is possible because there are about over 20 programs that are being processed.
When the NUC comes for their resource verification, they will be added.
More programs, in education, in social sciences, in geography, geometrics informatics and climate science are coming up. We have programs in the faculty of health sciences, anatomy, physiology, radiology coming up at the undergraduate level.
“Apart from the ten faculties we have, Professor Sunday Paul administration has created additional two faculties, the Faculty of Religious Studies, as well as the faculty of Computer, the Faculty of Computing and Artificial Intelligence.
“Another thing is that we have programs such as data science, software engineering and the likes. So, we are expanding the academic pace to accommodate digitalization because analogism is no longer attractive. That is the reason why many people refer to Professor Bako as a digital Professor, because he believes that we should keep the pace and move along side by side with other progressive cycles. Because we are in a century, a century that is highly knowledge competitive and we must not be seen to be left behind. So, I see a university that is aiming for the sky as our goal” Professor Suleiman revealed.
With this laudable vision that the Professor Bako-led leadership has inculcated, even as verifiable steps are been taken, with a verifiable record of achievements, the Taraba State University of Professor Bako’s dream is just but few steps away to being realized.
“My vision is to raise the standard of the university to that of a 21st Century University with focus on the basic tenets of University System which is teaching, research and community service, with an injection of entrepreneurship and digitalization of learning and learning outcomes.
“There are specific objectives that I need to pursue to achieve this by way of revenue generation, functioning of statutory organs of the University, improve on the infrastructure and focus on other things that will ensure that the University meets accreditation standards at all times. We upgrade ICT, prioritize welfare of staff and students and ensure that our research has global relevance.
Of course, to do this, we need to establish linkages and the national and international levels that would facilitate a robust human development programme. This is where we are going with the university” Professor Sunday Bako told our reporter in an exclusive chat.
