By Tyotom Keghku
In his bid to display ingenuity to generate, revitalize and re-engineer both the human and material resources of Benue State University, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tor Joe Iorapuu is set to mount the 22nd and 23rd and 24th Combined Convocation Ceremonies for the 2019/2020, 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 academic sessions from 5th to 8th December, 2024.
These Combined Ceremonies are the second in the series since he assumed leadership of the University in November, 2020. The first outing of Professor Iorapuu as regards Convocation was in the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st combined ceremonies which took place from 15th to 19th February, 2023.
By way of a background and historical perspective, the Benue State University was established through the Benue State University Law, No. I of 1991. The University commenced its activities in the 1992/1993 Academic Year with Four (4) Faculties namely; Arts, Education, Science, Social Sciences, the Faculties of Law and Management Sciences came on board in the 1993/1994 Academic Session, the University started its postgraduate school in the 1998/1999 Academic Year, the College of Health Sciences was established in the 2003/2004 Academic Year, in the 2014/2015 Academic Session, the Faculty of Environmental Sciences came on Board, the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences came on board in 2023, the Faculties of Architecture, Communication & Media Studies, and Technology and Industrial Studies came on board in 2024.The new Faculty of Communication and Media Studies was established in line with the unbundling of Mass Communication into nine programmes as approved by the National Universities Commission (NUC). BSU has six departments for now and these are; Advertising, Broadcasting, Development Communication Studies, Journalism and Media Studies, Public Relations and Strategic Communication. The University is in the forefront of Nigerian Universities that is qualified to comply with the unbundling process.
The Vision of BSU is “to be the University of first choice in Nigeria and Africa, and among the top 200 in the world” while the Mission is “to be a Centre of Excellence in creating knowledge and developing a complete person who is capable of not only responding to the cultural, social, political and economic needs of the environment but also setting the agenda for change”.
The core Values of BSU hinge on excellence in research, skills development, inculcation of moral values, and to use education as a tool for people liberation as captured in her motto, “Scientia Liberatio Populorum” which means knowledge for the liberation of the people.
The university strives to hold itself up as the lamp of the world by upholding moral rectitude, integrity and accountability in all it’s transactions with staff, students and stakeholders. The university currently has fourteen faculties; four of these were established under the tenure of the incumbent Vice-Chancellor Professor Tor Joe Iorapuu. They are Faculties of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Technology and Industrial Studies, Architecture and Communication and Media Studies. Benue State University currently has 61 full-fledged degree programmes with over 20,000 students.
In her 32 years of existence, first with the late Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu as the Visitor and Executive Governor, BSU has had seven other Visitors including the current Executive Governor, His Excellency, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, coincidentally a Catholic Priest as well. The amiable and people-oriented Governor shall be playing the role of Visitor for the first time on Saturday, 7th December, 2024 during the Conferment of Degrees, Postgraduate Diploma and Award Prizes. Relatedly BSU has had five Chancellors including the incumbent, HRM King (Barrister) Disrael Gbobo Bob-Manuel II; seven Pro-Chancellors with the incumbent, Sir Paul Chukwuma. The Governor has broken the jinx with the appointment of a competent and thorough-bred Nigerian as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council who is the first non-Benue indigene to steer the affairs of the university in this capacity.
Acclaimed as the first State University in the Northern part of Nigeria, BSU has had six Vice-Chancellors. The pioneer Vice-Chancellor, Professor Charles Gbilekaa Vajime and his successor, Professor David Iyornongu Ker, OON have since joined their ancestors and we all pray for the repose of their souls. Fortunately, Professors Akase Paul Sorkaa, who is on contract with the university, Charity Ashimem Angya, Msugh Moses Kembe are still vibrant and have been supporting the incumbent Professor Tor Joe Iorapuu to succeed in his programmes and projects as one huge family. Benue State University boasts of ten Centres and two Directorates that have been coordinating and fostering research. Among the Centres is that of Food Technology and Research (CEFTER), one of the seventeen Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) supported by the World Bank which has the mandate to develop and improve technologies to reduce post-harvest food losses in West and Central Africa.
The CEFTER celebrated her 10th Anniversary from November 6th to 8th this year. One of the activities lined up for the anniversary was the commissioning of CEFTER Food Technology Innovation Complex (CEFTIC) and Food Laboratory. The commissioning had to be put on but the exercise is planned to be done by the Visitor of the University during the activities of the convocation ceremonies.
After the 1st phase of implementation of this project that ended in 2019, CEFTER was adjudged one of the five best Centres to have successfully carried out its mandate of developing proven technologies that have solved post-harvest challenges for smallholder farmers in West and Central Africa.
The Centre won another grant in 2019 – the Africa Centre of Excellence for Development Impact (ACE-Impact) and was able to meet institutional readiness requirement to start accessing the grant in November 2021.
Some notable achievements of the Centre include the following:
NRI University of Greenwich (NRI)/Benue State University-CEFTER: Research Partnership Scheme 2023
Start-ups: CEFTER BSU, in collaboration with the UNDP (through the Benue Agribusiness Innovation Hub – BAI Hub) and the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) recently funded eleven (11) start-ups in controlling food losses, food processing, fabrication of equipment and promoting globally recognized agricultural processes and enhancement of the food value chain.
International Faculty: A total of six international faculty members were recruited to teach on its programmes. CEFTER BSU won the DAAD scholarship grant. The grant will fund training of M.Sc and Ph.D candidates from African. Countries; the (DAAD) in country/region scholarship programme selected PhD, and MSc Food Chemistry for full scholarship funding. Seedings Laboratory equipment grant; jointly won EU Food and Nutrition Security Initiative (F&NSI) project with the NRI.
BSU is also proud with all sense of humility, to have a College of Health Sciences which was approved by the Council in 2006 and signed into law by the then Governor George Akume in 2007. The College went through the processes of accreditation by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and all medical sectoral bodies.
The College of Health Sciences inducted first set of 27 Medical Doctors in November 2015. The batch B of the 1st Set consisting 13 medical Doctors were inducted while another set of 21 Medical Doctors was inducted in November 2016. Also, the college graduated 52 Medical Doctors in March, 2017. In 2018, 41 Medical Doctors were inducted. Again, the induction of 46 Medical Doctors was done in 2019 increasing the number to 227. The induction of Medical Doctors in 2020 also added the number to 272. The last induction in 2023, Medical Doctors were inducted the induction of 58 Medical Doctors in 2024 has brought the number to a total of 415 Medical Doctors.
There are several research grants won by staff and other milestones by students in recent years. These are: Miss Sandra Idoko, a 500-level student of the Faculty of Law represented Benue State University in 2023 Amnesty International intervarsity Debate and came top; Timothy Myom, a 500-level student of the Faculty of Law also represented Benue State University at the United Nations 13th Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition in Geneva Switzerland; another law Student, Rose Carmel Ode came out with a 1st class at the Law School during the 2021/2022 Bar Examinations.
Recent Research Grants won by Staff include: Professor Chinwe Muodumogu of the Department of Arts and Social Sciences Education won a grant from the Canadian Organization for Development through Education; Dr. Martin Terngu Kpoghul won a grant from Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) on the preservation of Colonial Buildings on Layouts in Digital form as Instructional Materials. Relatedly, Professor Rev.Fr. Vitalis Torwel of the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies won the National Research Fund grant from Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) on “Peace Journalism, National Security and Counter-terrorism” for the 2020 Intervention while Dr. Ungwanen John Ahile won the Royal Society of Chemistry’s RSC Sustainable Laboratories Grant on “The Chemist, his laboratory and the environment” for the 2023 application round.
In another historic partnership, on the 2nd of August, 2023, the American Space was officially set up in the Benue State University. The five core pillars of the American Space are: Alumni engagement, Strategic cultural programmes, Education advising, Information on United States of America (USA) and English Language teaching and learning.
In yet another development, three tertiary institutions are affiliated to Benue State University. These are: College of Education, Oju (2017), Ancdfr9gustian Institute, Makurdi, and Ashi Polytechnic Anyiin, Benue State (2023).
Meanwhile, the four-day 22nd to 24th Combined Convocation Ceremonies shall feature Vice-Chancellor’s free health outreach for staff and students, the VC’s Pre-Convocation Press briefing, novelty football matches between male and female management staff, and female students of the two wings of the university campus. Other events shall be the commissioning of CEFTER Food Technology and Innovation Complex (CEFTIC) and Food Laboratory, a convocation play and a Lecture to be delivered by Professor Toyin Falola, an erudite scholar and historian of the University of Texas at Austin, United States of America on the topic entitled, “Power, Politics, and Policies”.
Saturday, 7th December, 2024 shall feature presentation of speeches by the Chancellor, Pro-Chancellor, and the Vice-Chancellor who shall present the University’s Annual Report to the Visitor. Visiting Vice-Chancellors shall present goodwill messages followed by the conferment of Degrees and Award of prices before the address by the Visitor. After this Convocation, the era of combined ceremonies shall be a thing of the past.
In all the fore-going, Professor Iorapuu had six mega TETfund projects worth N2.18 Billion Naira were completed and commissioned by Senator George Akume, then Minister of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs on behalf of former President Muhammadu Buhari on 11th May, 2023. The project are; Administrative Complex, Faculties of Education and Science, Centre for Research and Innovation Development, Centre for Health and Counselling, and Lecture Complex at College of Health Sciences.
In conclusion, we make bold to congratulate the graduands, visiting Vice-Chancellors, parents, guardians and relevant stakeholders on the occasion of this combined convocation ceremonies and the university’s human capacity building and massive infrastructural development. We wish all guests an impactful outing in Makurdi, Benue State; the “Food Basket of the Nation”.
Dr. Tyotom Keghku is the Chairman, Publicity Sub Committee of the Benue State University’s 22nd-24th combined convocation ceremonies. He is also a Columnist with The Voice Newspaper.
08167560611, ktyotom@yahoo.com
