The vice chancellor of the University of Abuja, Prof Joseph Adelabu has been given six months ultimatum to restructure the departments of Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, and Engineering due to their lack of accreditation by the National Universities Commission (NUC) which led to the suspension of the programmes by the federal government and the non graduation of students from the affected departments.
The minister of education, Prof Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufai gave the ultimatum on the heels of the protest staged by the affected students yesterday at the federal ministry of education. She said: “we have discussed already with your VC and we have told him that in the next six months, things in the affected departments must take proper shape”.
In response to the ultimatum by the VC and protest by the students who insisted that psychological trauma and uncertainty will be their lot, Prof Adelabu said, “council will meet and by the special grace of God, we will be able to reposition things within two months in lieu of accreditation”.
The students who stormed the ministry’s premises in the early hours of yesterday with placards having different inscriptions? were escorted by their VC and some lecturers who lamented? the federal government’s decision to transfer them to other universities with accreditation of their respective courses or study similar programmes within the same university.
Twenty representatives from the affected departments who spoke with the minister in a meeting, revealed that they had made concerted efforts to reach out to some professional bodies who have given terms on how accreditation would be done and would prefer to remain than get transferred.
They pleaded with the minister to look into their plight and reverse her decision and allow them continue with their study at the university since there was hope of accreditation in no distant future.