I mobilized over N10 billion projects to FUD – VC

*Buhari approves N3 billion for upgrade of Shekoni Teaching Hospital

The Vice- Chancellor Federal University Dutse Prof. Fatima Batul Mukhtar on Tuesday revealed that she has attracted over N10 billion projects to the University in the last four and half years .

Prof. Fatima who stated this while answering questions from NTA on  the educational progress of Northern women since 1960 and her legacies as one of the shining stars of women education in the north.

Prof. Fatima appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari who appointed her as Vice-Chancellor of  Federal University Dutse  to contribute her quota to the development of the university adding that she  is leaving the university better than she met it.

” I believe I have made some improvements in the university in terms of academic and infrastructural developments, and one of such areas is  the College of Medicine. I know I am going to leave the program solid. I know now the students can comfortably go to the hospital and start  their clinical as soon as ASUU strike is called off . The president has approved the released of the sum of N3 billion for the upgrade of the hospital and has  directed the minister to release the fund. This means the issues  about the hospital is over and now the MBBS program has come to stay”.

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She also revealed that when she assumed office  as Vice-Chancellor in 2016, the nation was in economic recession and the university was cash strapped. This made her  resolved to leave the comfort of her offce to seek assistance from government offices, ministries, Tetfund, Ecological Fund among several others to get projects for the university.

” I have brought to this university projects worth over N10 billion . This  of course include the projects I cannot even quantify like projects done by Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Works, NCC, NITDA, philanthropists to mention a few. That is why I said they cannot be quantified. I thank God for this, because even with the economic situation in the country, the university is a living example in terms of investments led by the Federal Government and it’s opened for all to come and see. Today I think we have accessed all our interventions at TETFUND as some are ongoing and some have been  completed and so on but the whole fund have been put to use”

She said  as a professor of Botany, one of her major legacies are the students she has trained who  are doing well in their chosen career adding that the Kano Botanical Garden which she personally established and funded is another worthy legacy she is leaving behind.

According to her many students  go there for SIWES , attachment and research adding that the garden also serve as a place of pleasure and  conservation of indigenous plant species.

Prof. Fatima said the failure of the colonial government to recognize the importance of Qur’anic education and ajami as a form of literacy was responsible for classifying the north as illiterate adding that before the  coming of the whitemen northern Nigeria was using ajami for writing and communication.

The Vice- Chancellor noted that subsequent role of missionaries in promoting western education made muslim northerners to reject it adding that despite this initial setback, a lot of women have embraced education and number of girl child enrollment has doubled in the last sixty years.

She said  several northern women now hold critical position in government especially Hajiya Zainab Ahmed the minister of Finance. This according to her is a sign that northern women has come of age in terms of western education.