Duker Decries Critics Over Comments On Nasarawa University

A filmmaker and media practitioner, Fidelis Duker, has decried critics over comments on Nasarawa State University following reports that the institution graduated 1,672 PhD holders over four years.

Duker made his position known in a statement posted on his verified Facebook account.

He said the figure reflects doctoral programmes run across multiple faculties and departments, noting that PhD studies typically last between three and seven years.

According to him, the total represents graduates who may have commenced their programmes several years earlier.

He also cited Ahmadu Bello University and the University of Ibadan as institutions with comparable doctoral output, and added that universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology produce hundreds of PhD graduates annually.

However, the figure has drawn scrutiny in some quarters, with questions raised about the adequacy of supervision, research quality and institutional capacity to sustain such output.

Efforts to get a response from Nasarawa State University were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.

Duker called for more detailed data on doctoral output, including departmental figures and supervision capacity.