YOBE ASSEMBLY PLEDGES MORE FUNDING FOR STATE UNIVERSITY

The Yobe State House of Assembly has pledged to increase budgetary support for Yobe State University and help the institution secure funding from relevant development agencies.

The Speaker, Chiroma Mashio, made the commitment on Tuesday when the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Muhammad Tahir, led members of the management team on a courtesy visit to the Assembly.

Mashio said the university would be invited to participate in the 2027 budget defence, where its funding and development needs would be considered.

He also promised to support the university’s efforts to access interventions from agencies such as the Tertiary Education Trust Fund and the Universal Basic Education Commission.

The Speaker urged the university’s management to provide expert advice to the state government on improving primary and secondary education, noting that the quality of students entering tertiary institutions is influenced by their earlier education.

Earlier, Tahir said the university’s management, which assumed office in January 2026, had focused on improving academic standards, accountability and the institution’s impact on the community.

He disclosed that the university had completed accreditation processes for Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography and successfully conducted first- and second-semester examinations for the 2025/2026 academic session.

Tahir also said 16 medical doctors had been sponsored for postgraduate training abroad, with seven currently studying in India and six others expected to travel to Malaysia in October.

He added that 32 academic staff had received sponsorship for postgraduate studies within Nigeria, while 70 academic and non-academic staff had benefited from in-house postgraduate programmes.

Other achievements, according to the Vice-Chancellor, included the commissioning of the Biomedical Science Research and Training Centre, the introduction of six new postgraduate programmes and the establishment of a new Faculty of Computing.