Varsity Expands Global Partnerships, Strengthens Academic Standards

Vice-Chancellor of Sa’adu Zungur University (SAZU), Bauchi State, Prof. Fatimah Tahir, says the institution has recorded remarkable achievements in education, research and infrastructure in its 15 years of existence.

She spoke at the weekend during the university’s combined 8th, 9th, and 10th convocation held at its main campus in Gadau, where 12,256 students graduated across three academic sessions. The graduands come from undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across the university’s nine faculties.

Tahir said of the 40 academic programmes offered by the university, 38 have secured full accreditation, while the remaining two are on interim status.

On research development, she said SAZU had accessed 148 Institutional-based Research (IBR) grants from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) since 2023, in addition to winning two National Research Fund (NRF) grants.

The vice-chancellor highlighted the institution’s growing international collaborations, including partnerships with Don State Technical University, Russia; Universiti Sains Malaysia and Sunway University, Malaysia.

The school also maintains a fellowship agreement with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and is affiliated with Project ECHO at the University of New Mexico, USA.

She added that at the national level, SAZU had established formal collaborations with the National Pension Commission (PenCom), Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), the Federal University of Health Sciences, Azare (FUHSATI) and the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC).

According to Tahir, the university had continued to make progress in academic development, adding that 17 academic programmes were recently accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC), which affirmed the institution’s commitment to quality education and high academic standards.

In terms of infrastructure, Prof. Tahir said SAZU had recorded notable improvements through the support of the Bauchi State government, development partners and TETFund.

She commended Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed for his continued support, particularly the construction of internal road networks at the Gadau Main Campus, which had enhanced mobility and improved the campus environment.

She added that the state government had proposed additional projects, including the construction of hostels and road networks at the Yuli Campus, completion of perimeter fencing in the three campuses, development of staff housing in Gadau and Yuli and the establishment of a medical college.

The vice-chancellor also acknowledged the construction of a state-of-the-art ICT complex by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in collaboration with Offshore Labs. She said the facility, equipped with modern digital tools, has significantly improved teaching, learning, and research.

She congratulated the graduands on their achievement, as well as their parents and guardians for their support, urging them to be good ambassadors of the university.

In her remarks, the pro-chancellor and chairman of the Governing Council, Professor Gambo Laraba Abdullahi, described the convocation as a significant milestone in the university’s journey.

She stated that since her appointment in 2025, she has witnessed the dedication and resilience of the university community in advancing the institution.