NUC votes FUTO boss best VC
From Mohammed Abubakar, Abuja
THE National Universities Commission (NUC) has voted Prof. Jude E. Njoku as the best vice-chancellor in 2003.
Njoku is the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO).
Similarly, the Governing Council of the University of Port Harcourt, under the chairmanship of the erstwhile vice-chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Emeritus Prof. Ayo Banjo has been voted the best for 2003.
The Guardian gathered at the weekend in Abuja that the two institutions recorded remarkable scores in the assessment by a panel comprising academics drawn from various universities in the country.
The exercise is being coordinated by the Office of the Director of Special Projects and Services (DSPS), Prof. Placid Njoku, who is a former vice-chancellor of University of Agriculture, Umudike, Imo State.
At its meeting last week, the commission's board of directors, under the Chairmanship of the Danmasanin Kano, Dr. Yusuf Maitama Sule ratified the recommendations of the panel. Though The Guardian was unable to obtain official comments on the information "because it has not been officially released," a source at the commission's headquarters, Abuja confirmed the voting of Njoku as the best VC for 2003.
He was followed by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, (UNILAG), Prof. Oye Ibidapo-Obe, while the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt and the Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors (CVC), Prof. Nimi Briggs came third.
At the council level, the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), came second after the University of Port Harcourt, while Bayero University Kano (BUK) came third, according to the ratings.
For FUTO VC, this appears to be a season of awards as his institution emerged the third best in the recently concluded first ever Nigerian Universities Research and Development Fair (NURESDEF), carting away N500,000 prize.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, (UNAB), Prof. Israel Folashade Adu last year emerged the best vice-chancellor of the year 2002 and the governing council of UNILAG under Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), was voted the best for the period.
The 2003 awards ceremony will be held tomorrow at the commission's headquarters, Abuja.
