The Governor of Plateau State, Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, has expressed his desire to transform the Plateau State University, which is located in Bakkos, into a world-class institution that can favorably compete with global best universities.
Governor Mutfwang disclosed this when the pro-chancellor of the university, Prof. Ibiora Ike, led the management of Plateau State University on a courtesy call at the New Government House in Jos recently.
According to a statement issued by Gyang Bere, who is the director of press and public affairs to the governor, Mutfwang also expressed his passion for education and said he will not only ensure the continued existence of Plateau State University but further see that it becomes a centre of academic excellence in the country.
He appreciated the pro-chancellor for the selfless service he has rendered to Plateau State and the value he has added to Plateau State University by connecting the institution to the global society.
His words: “Education is not something we should overemphasize because it would have been a tragedy if Plateau State University was not up and running. One of the biggest assets we have on the Plateau is the human asset and I believe that there is no any better place to train human capital than in the ivory tower.
“Therefore, it has become incumbent on us to ensure that Plateau State University does not only exist but that it is supported in any way we can to become a centre of excellence. I share the passion and commitment towards education and I don’t want us to have a University just for the sake of it. It should be able to compete with its peers across the globe.
“To this end, whereever I have reason to interact with top government functionaries and foreign diplomats, I have also taken it as a duty to promote Plateau State University.”
The governor further stated that he was already talking with the Bulgarian Ambassador to Nigeria on collaborating with higher institutions of learning in his country to train and retrain lecturers from Plateau State University. He added that those were some of the steps he has taken to revamp and connect the institution to the global community.
According to him, “I will constitute myself into the chief advocate of the progress of Plateau State University. We came in with alot of constraints on ground. I tell people that I am not a politician but I am into politics and, therefore, when I make statements, I don’t make them out of politics.
“I speak the reality on ground and one of the realities we found on ground was a huge liability. Therefore, the focus of this administration is on wealth creation so that we can lift our people out of poverty. Because if we do not find a way of increasing the capacity of government to generate revenue, all the requests you have made will become a mirage.
“We are putting plans in place to ensure that we expand the Plateau economy, and that is the only way we can increase government revenue to enable us service the social sector. I am confident that the plans we are about to roll out, before long, they will begin to yield the desired dividends.”
Governor Mutfwang assured that with available resources, education will become a key priority of his administration and promised to look into the requests of the management of Plateau State University. However, he did not specify the requests.
In his remarks, Prof. Ike congratulated Governor Mutfwang on his emergence as the true winner of the 2023 governorship election in the state and described him as God-fearing, whose decisions are divinely inspired.
The pro-chancellor explained that Plateau State University has not received subvention in the last 5 months, yet the staff refused to join civil servants who are currently on strike due their to patriotism and loyalty to the state.
Top among government functionaries at the courtesy visit were the deputy governor, Josephine Piyo; secretary to the government of Plateau State, Samuel Nanchang Jatau; chief of staff, government house, Jeremiah Satmark; head of the civil service, Rauta Dakok; and the attorney general and commissioner for justice, Philimon Daffi.
