Education
New FUE Zaria VC Presents Letter of Appointment to Pro-Chancellor
By Aminu Garko
The new Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Education, Zaria (FUE Zaria), Prof. Yahaya Isa Bunkure, has presented his letter of appointment to Pro-Chancellor Ambassador Baba Ahmad Jidda, OFR.
Prof. Bunkure expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the appointment and sought the support of the Pro-Chancellor and Governing Council.
He pledged to work collaboratively with the Council, university management, and community to advance the institution’s mission.
Ambassador Jidda congratulated Prof.Bunkure, encouraging him to foster harmonious relationships with stakeholders.
The Pro-Chancellor reaffirmed the Council’s readiness to support the Vice Chancellor in delivering quality education.
The meeting marked a significant step in Professor Bunkure’s tenure as Vice Chancellor, setting the stage for collaborative efforts to drive the university’s success.
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The newly appointed Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Education, Zaria, Professor Isa Yahaya Bunkure, has called on both academic and non-academic staff to offer their full support as he embarks on a mission to reposition the university for excellence.
Speaking during his inaugural address at the university campus, Prof. Bunkure expressed deep appreciation for the warm reception he received upon assuming office, describing it as overwhelming and a reflection of the unity and optimism that exists within the institution.
“I am truly honored by the trust and confidence placed in me by this great community,” he stated. “I assure you that I will not betray this trust. Together, we will elevate this university to greater heights.”
Highlighting his vision for the institution, Prof. Bunkure revealed that he has developed a series of strategic plans aimed at improving the quality of teaching and learning across all faculties.
A key part of his administration’s agenda, he said, is ensuring the university continues to produce highly competent and qualified teachers capable of transforming Nigeria’s education sector.
In addressing some pressing concerns of students and alumni, Prof. Bunkure noted that the issue of students who have completed their Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) program but have not received their certificates will be given prompt attention.
He assured that a comprehensive audit and review process will be carried out to resolve such cases.
“From now on, any student who successfully completes their examinations and fulfills all institutional requirements will receive their results and certificates without unnecessary delays,” he added.
On the matter of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) and other scholarship initiatives introduced by the Federal Government, Prof. Bunkure pledged that the university administration will ensure transparency and efficiency in the disbursement of such funds.
“We will not hesitate to facilitate the immediate release of funds to all eligible students once the federal government has made the necessary provisions. No student will be left behind due to financial constraints,” he affirmed.
Concluding his remarks, the Vice Chancellor appealed to all staff members to remain committed and united in pursuit of the university’s goals.
“This journey requires the dedication and cooperation of everyone. I call upon both teaching and non-teaching staff to join me in this mission of transformation. Together, we can build a university that is not only respected nationally but admired internationally,” he said.
The address was met with applause and optimism, as many within the university community expressed confidence in Prof. Bunkure’s leadership and vision.
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By Aminu Garko
The newly appointed Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Education (FUE), Zaria, Prof.Yahaya Isa Bunkure,Makaman Rano on Tuesday presented his appointment letter to the Emir of Zazzau, Malam Ahmad Nuhu Bamalli, CFR.
During the courtesy visit, Prof
.Bunkure sought the Emir’s counsel and support for plans to strengthen the university as a center of teaching, research, and community engagement.
He told the Emir that the university’s priorities are to improve teaching and learning environments, enhance staff development, boost student welfare and safety, and deepen partnerships with local communities.
The Emir welcomed Prof. Bunkure and pledged the palace’s readiness to partner with the university.
He emphasized the importance of institutions remaining connected to their host communities and encouraged the VC to prioritize programs that benefit local people.
The Emir also urged Prof. Bunkure to involve traditional leaders in matters affecting student conduct and town-campus relations.
The meeting marked a significant step in fostering collaboration between the university and the community.
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The 2009 ASUU Agreement and the FGN’s Endless Broken Promises
When the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) voluntarily signed a historic agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in 2009, there was genuine hope that public universities would be repositioned for global relevance. The pact promised revitalisation funds, improved welfare for lecturers, and a renewed commitment to education as the true foundation of national development.
Fifteen years on, those promises remain unfulfilled. The ink on the agreement may have long dried, but the government’s failure to honour it has left deep scars. Instead of flourishing, Nigerian universities have continued to wither, with ivory towers of learning decaying into ruins of neglect.
The 2009 agreement was not merely a policy paper. It was a solemn covenant. It offered lecturers improved conditions of service, research allowances, and infrastructural development capable of elevating Nigerian universities to compete globally. Yet, successive administrations have treated it casually—like a ceremonial handshake that meant everything at the moment, but nothing afterwards.
Year after year, education is pushed to the margins of the national budget, with allocations falling far below UNESCO’s recommended benchmark. The excuse has always been “scarce resources.” Yet, while government pleads poverty when it comes to funding education, billions are consistently allocated to political offices, motorcades, and other recurrent extravagances.
The greatest tragedy in government’s inaction lies in the human cost. For every strike triggered by insincerity, students lose precious years. A four-year programme drags into six. Parents bear heavier financial and emotional burdens. Many brilliant students and lecturers flee to foreign universities, enriching other nations while Nigeria loses its best brains.
The 2009 agreement has thus become symbolic of a wider Nigerian malaise: plenty of rhetoric, very little action.
ASUU is often vilified for its strike actions, with critics accusing the union of punishing students. But what options remain when government consistently refuses to keep its promises? For ASUU, strikes are never a first choice but a last resort—an alarm bell rung in desperation, in a country where silence is always met with indifference.
Even so, the endless cycle has worn lecturers down. Morale is low, and many have traded chalkboards for better opportunities abroad, leaving behind a system starved of its brightest intellectuals.
Beyond financial excuses, the refusal to honour the 2009 agreement exposes a deeper problem: Nigeria’s chronic undervaluing of education. A nation that fails to invest in its universities cannot hope to build a competitive economy or an innovative society. Instead, it recycles crises, bequeathing broken systems and limited opportunities to its youth.
At this point, it is no longer enough to renegotiate or sign fresh memoranda of understanding. What ASUU needs is sincerity and commitment. Government must begin to view education not as a drain on resources but as the most important investment in the nation’s future. The 2009 agreement must not remain a relic of unfulfilled promises. It must be implemented in full—with urgency and honesty.
The Federal Government’s failure to honour the 2009 ASUU agreement is not just an administrative oversight; it is a national betrayal. Unless education is treated with the seriousness it deserves, the cycle of strikes, broken promises, and wasted futures will continue.
The real victims are not politicians or policymakers, but the poor students whose only dream is to be educated.
By Prof. Mainasara Yakubu Kurfi
Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano
Email: mykurfi@gmail.com
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