NASARAWA STATE UNIVERSITY, KEFFI, Was established under the Nasarawa State Law No. 2 of 2001 (see 2.2) as passed by the State House of Assembly. The University came into existence under the visionary and dynamic administration of Governor. (Dr) Abdullahi Adamu (Sarkin Yakin Keffi, Aare Obateru of the source, Ile-Ife), the first democratically elected Governor of Nasarawa State.
The aim of establishing the University was, fundamentally, to provide an avenue for the indigenes of Nasarawa State to pursue and acquire University education, which in the long run, will prepare the graduates and equip them with adequate skills needed for the development of the state and the country at large. Consequently, Governor Adamu was then “propelled by the burning desire to proffer solution to the subsisting problem of grave dearth in the supply of human endeavour that confronts our young state”.
Accordingly, the Nasarawa State Government organized an education summit on the desirability or otherwise of a State University. The educational summit came out with a conclusion that a Nasarawa State University is not only desirable, but also timely. Furthermore, Governor Abdullahi Adamu had also, in the last quarter of 1999, set out a Technical Advisory Committee of experts on tertiary education to, among other things, advise Government on the feasibility or otherwise, as well as modus operandi for the setting up of a State University. Precisely the terms of reference given to the committee are:
Technical Advisory Committee
Prof. Ochapa Onazi – Chairman
Prof. Adamu Baikie – Member
Prof. I. L. Bashir – Member
Prof. D. I Denga – Member
Prof. Ayo Adewole – Member
Prof. E. I Kucha – Member
Prof. Abdulhamid Abubakar – Member
Dr. Chris Abashiya – Member
Dr. (Mrs) F. E Ukeje – Member
Senator Dr. Alex Kadiri – Member
Alh. Abubakar – Secretary
The Committee was given three months to submit its report.
Terms of Reference
To establish appropriate links with the National Universities Commission and the Federal Ministry of Education with a view to obtaining guidelines on the establishment of the Universities in the country;
To identify the institutional structure for the take-off of the proposed State University either as a multi-campus or a single campus University;
To identify the initial infrastructural facilities required on the advised campus/campuses
To identify the immediate staffing requirements of the said University both in terms of academic and non-academic staff.
To determine the total financial out-lay that may be required for the successful take-off of the University; and
To make any recommendation(s) that are contingent for realizing this dream project.
Thereafter an implementation Committee was set up by the Governor on Wednesday 14th February, 2001, comprising men and a woman who were more grounded in the rules of the game and who were tested personalities, to further come to the aid of the State as it progresses into the final lap of the actual setting up of the University.
Implementation Committee
Prof. Adamu Baikie – Chairman
Prof. Isa Mohammed – Member
Prof. S.O.O Amali – Member
Prof. Ayo Adewole – Member
E. O. D Okpede – Member
Dr. (Mrs) F. E Ukeje – Member
Dr. David W. Tukura – Member
Dr Hassan Lawal – Member
Alh. Abubakar Sabuwa – Secretary
The Committee was given three months within which to submit its report.
Terms of Reference
To liaise with the National Universities Commission (NUC) and effect the obtaining of appropriate license for the operation of a State University in Nasarawa State;
To advise the government on the selection of pioneer Principal Officers of the University;
To assist the government of Nasarawa State in the establishment of linkages with older and well-established Universities (both local and foreign)
To facilitate the linkage of the government of Nasarawa State to existing funding agencies; and
To proffer any such suggestion that could be incidental to the smooth take-off of the State University.
Finally, in February 2002, after all the ground work was concluded by the Implementation Committee, Nasarawa State University was sited in Keffi at the defunct College of Arts, Science and Technology (CAST).
The University officially took off for effective academic activities in March 2002, following the appointment of an Interim Administrator (Vice-Chancellor), Professor Adamu Baikie. Today, despite all odds associated with the take-off of the University. The Institution, under the able leadership of Professor Adamu Baikie (CON) and his team, has become a reference point with regard to proper procedure and practice in the University System in Nigeria.
Accordingly, the vision that propelled the establishment of Nasarawa State University is the greatest historical mile-stone in the educational evolution of Nasarawa State and its people.
