A first generation Nigerian university Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) will start offering online doctorate programmes in 2013, the institution’s vice chancellor Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha has said.
While speaking at a symposium organized by the university as part of events marking the institution’s 50th anniversary, Prof. Mustapha said Ahmadu Bello University is fully determined to actualize its mission which is the pursuit of growth and development of the nation’s education sector and, by extension, the nation’s economy.
He said the university is presently putting more emphasis on promoting postgraduate education. According to him, the goal is to attain a ratio of 60 to 40 percent of postgraduate and undergraduate admissions in the university.
He however mentioned the institution’s biggest challenge which is deciphering how to revive academic culture among lecturers and students.
“We are not here as lecturers just for money sake but we are here for research and teaching. The naira coming to us should not be a primary concern. Lecturers must therefore speak to themselves to put the interest of their profession at heart. A university is supposed to be a place for proffering solutions to issues of national challenge,” the professor said.
Speaking at the event, the chairman of the session, Prof. Ra’uf Dunmoye, said the symposium is a reflection of the institution’s past, perception of its present and projection of the future.
In all, eleven papers on carefully selected topics were presented at the summit. The topics, according to Dunmoye, were selected to give participants a productive and rewarding symposium.
Speaking on the topic “Peculiarities of ABU among Universities in Nigeria,” Prof. Kabir Bala, who is the director of academic planning at the university, said Ahmadu Bello University has been able to achieve its set goals.
