Yobe assembly pledges adequate budgetary provision for state varsity

Speaker, VC, members and the management staff of the university. CREDIT: Yobe State University

The Yobe State House of Assembly has pledged increased budgetary allocation and support for Yobe State University, including advocacy for interventions from relevant development agencies.

The Speaker of the Assembly, Chiroma Mashio, disclosed this on Tuesday when the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Muhammad Tahir, led members of the management team on a courtesy and familiarisation visit to the Assembly.

Mashio said the Assembly would invite the university management to participate in the 2027 budget defence and work with the institution to address its funding and developmental needs.

“We will invite you for the budget defence. In Sha Allah, after His Excellency presents the budget here in Yobe State, we will look into your problems and see that the university has adequate budgetary provision for you to work as expected,” he said.

The Speaker congratulated Tahir on his appointment as the fifth substantive Vice-Chancellor of the university, describing the visit as timely, particularly with preparations for the 2027 budget.

He noted that Tahir had previously served as Medical Director of the Police Hospital, Damaturu, before his appointment as Vice-Chancellor.

Mashio also pledged the Assembly’s support for the university to access interventions from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Universal Basic Education Commission and other development agencies.

According to him, the Assembly would use platforms, including the Nigerian Speakers Conference, to facilitate engagements with the agencies.

The Speaker also called on the university management to provide expert advice to the state government on challenges affecting primary and secondary education.

He said the quality of students entering tertiary institutions was linked to the standard of education received at the basic and secondary levels.

“We are having problems from secondary to primary school in Yobe State. We want to know how you, as learned people with qualified professors and others, can advise us and advise the state government so that the level of our secondary and primary schools can be improved,” he said.

Earlier, Tahir said the visit was aimed at strengthening the relationship between the university and the Assembly, describing the lawmakers as the institution’s landlords, partners and representatives of the people.

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He said his administration assumed office in the fourth week of January 2026 and had embarked on measures to reposition the university for academic excellence, accountability and greater community impact.

Tahir said, “Since we assumed office, we have focused on repositioning the university for academic excellence, accountability and greater community impact.”

He disclosed that the university successfully conducted the first- and second-semester examinations for the 2025/2026 academic session and completed accreditation processes for Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography in the College of Medical Sciences.

The Vice-Chancellor said 16 medical doctors had been sponsored for foreign postgraduate training, with seven already studying at Integral University, Lucknow, India.

He added that six others were scheduled to travel to Malaysia in the first week of October 2026.

According to him, “The foreign training intervention has been made possible through the support of the Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni.”

Tahir further disclosed that 32 academic staff had been sponsored for postgraduate training within Nigeria, while 70 academic and non-academic staff had been sponsored for in-house postgraduate programmes at the university.

He said, “We have also sponsored 32 academic staff for postgraduate training within Nigeria, while 70 academic and non-academic staff have benefited from in-house postgraduate programmes at Yobe State University.”

The Vice-Chancellor listed the commissioning of the permanent site of the Biomedical Science Research and Training Centre as another major achievement of his administration.

He said the centre was constructed and furnished with the support of Governor Buni.

Tahir also disclosed that six new postgraduate programmes were introduced during the 2025/2026 academic session, while a new Faculty of Computing was established.