By: Babagana Bukar Wakil, Maiduguri
The University of Maiduguri is set to mark two historic milestones as it prepares for its twenty fifth convocation and the fiftieth anniversary of its establishment. Speaking at a press briefing ahead of the events, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Mohammed Laminu Mele, said the commemorations reflect both the institution’s remarkable growth since 1975 and its strengthened commitment to academic excellence, innovation and service.
Professor Mele recalled that the university began with modest facilities inherited from the former North-East College of Arts and Science but has since evolved into one of Nigeria’s leading centres of scholarship, serving the Lake Chad Basin and contributing to national development through research and training. He noted that the founding vision, anchored on discipline, accountability, integrity and societal service, remains the guiding principle of the current administration.
According to him, the university has, over the last eighteen months, carried out extensive reforms to raise academic standards, improve research quality and enhance student learning outcomes. Departments have fully implemented the National Universities Commission’s quality assurance framework, while upgraded oversight by academic units now ensures curriculum delivery meets global standards. Teaching and learning have been strengthened through improvements in the physical and digital library systems, renewed subscriptions to e-resources, and the promotion of project based learning, entrepreneurship and employability skills.
Professor Mele also highlighted major upgrades to campus infrastructure, including improved lighting, walkways, pavements and sanitation, as well as the sinking of new middle aquifer boreholes funded by the Borno State Government for research farms and residential water supply.
He expressed deep appreciation to the Federal Government for sustained financing and policy support, particularly citing the impact of the twelve megawatt hybrid solar plant that has stabilised power supply across the main campus and the medical college. He announced that the university has also received four billion naira from TETFund to expand enrolment in Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy, in addition to more than seven hundred million naira approved for medical hostel construction and the establishment of a simulation laboratory.
The Vice Chancellor acknowledged the support of the North East Development Commission as well as the Borno State Government under Governor Babagana Umara Zulum led administration. He said state-led interventions have included staff housing, laboratory equipment, scholarships, solar powered boreholes & direct financial backing. He added that the Borno State Education Trust Fund recently built and donated a two storey academic block housing classrooms, laboratories, staff rooms and a library to the University Demonstration Secondary School.
The university also recognised the contributions of its international development partners including the Gates Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, ActionAid, IOM, UNICEF, WHO, UNDP, USAID, the World Bank, AfDB, AFD, IDB and the Government of Japan. Their support, he said, has strengthened research capacity, improved teaching, deepened community service and enhanced humanitarian and resilience programming across the institution.
Professor Mele announced that the twenty fifth (25th) convocation will graduate a total of 20,164 students, one of the largest cohorts in the university’s history. The graduating class includes 66 doctoral candidates and 1,020 master’s degree recipients.
He further disclosed that the institution is making significant progress in digital transformation, with near completion of its fibre optic backbone, expansion of digital platforms for academic and administrative processes and access to several major ICT grants. Among them is the Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises programme, a multilateral initiative supported by AfDB, AFD, IDB and the Federal Government, in which the University of Maiduguri is a key beneficiary. He also noted the establishment of the UniPod Innovation Hub in partnership with UNDP, housed within the Abdul Samad Rabiu International Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, with specialised laboratories in renewable energy, textiles, prototyping, food processing, electronics and other emerging fields.
Professor Mele said the convocation and golden jubilee will not only celebrate fifty years of academic excellence but also mark a new phase of transformation as the institution positions itself for global competitiveness.
