GOVERNOR LALONG STANDS KEY TO THE RESUSCITATION OF PLASU- VC PROF. IZAM

PLASU HOSTS PLATEAU PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION

The Plateau State University (PLASU), Bokkos, led by its Vice Chancellor, Professor Yohana Izam, hosted the Plateau Publishers Association (PPA)  on a courtesy call and on Friday 12th March 2021.

The PPA Chairman, Shabul Mazadu, appraised the Plateau State Governor, Rt. Hon. Simon B. Lalong, for revamping the University while thrown accolades to the Vice Chancellor and the management for working acidusly for the actualization of were the University is today.

The VC who was a member of the committee of heads of tertiary institutions being then Provost College of Arts, Science and Technology, that wrote the proposal of the State University in 2005, and also a member of then Executive Council that endorsed the creation of the institution when he was the Commissioner of Environment; is now the Vice Chancellor working asidiousely as attested by the infrastructures massively being raised with increasing additional courses. 

Professor Izam, commended PPA for the visit and encouraged its members not to loose heart in the discharge of their services to the nation through information dissemination, saying it has not been easy on them as they are being attacked by people who are offended by their reportage, and other challenges of patronage which they hardly make profits. 

He appreciated the reports carried on the University by the various mediums of the PPA members, adding that either way, good or bad reportage helps them in the running of the school affairs.

The VC shaded light on the vision of the University, stating that it was created for citizens of the state to have more access to the university as they were disadvantaged with less than 1% to the total Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination admission list. He said, "The whole idea is that if you have a university added to the University of Jos, that works hard as other universities are doing, you can hope to improve it to 2% or 2.7%, which is the national average; because in the committee of states, Plateau should reach the national average of at least contributing 7% of students attending universities." 

He praised Governor Lalong for resuscitating the university and restoring then suspended VC, Professor Sheni, and constituting a governing council. Today he added, PLASU has graduated over one thousand nine hundred students. And that the institution is running 19 courses with four faculties with the expectation of reaching 7 which is the highest in universities at its 15th anniversary. 

Speaking on infrastructures, Izam said the infrastructures constructed since the revitalization of the institution by the Lalong administration, are running shoulder to shoulder with the ones found on ground and in few months more accreditation of courses will ensue as he just returned from inspecting their infrastructures. 

He criticized the notion held by some sections crediting infrastructural feats to TETFund, saying all resources used in the construction of the infrastructures are public funds whether they are from the local governments, state government and TETFund. The TETFund he said are generated from taxes from various states. 

The VC attributed the success of the infrastructures raised and running of the university to the leadership style of the Lalong administration which he also commended for resolving the grievances of the staff which led to the call off of their recent strike.

The VC equally affirmed the Institutions determination to have the contractor handling the construction of MASSCOM department to return to site as soon as possible to ensure the speedy accreditation of the course.