The outgoing Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria Prof. Sanusi Bala has expressed concern about how the prestigious University lost the sum of N2.5 billion naira to a garnishee order of a court.
Prof. Bala while outlining some challenged he faced as the VC of ABU for five years, insisted that despite these challenges he met the ABU peacefully, and he is living as the most peaceful University in the country.
“I have every reason to be thankful to God as I am leaving Ahmadu Bello University gracefully as Vice-Chancellor. I met ABU peacefully, and I am leaving it peacefully,” he said.
He was responding to questions by journalists who had asked for his comments on the five years he held sway as Vice-Chancellor of one of the largest universities in Africa.
Prof Bala’s tenure is coming to an end on 30th April 2025. He will be succeeded by Prof Adamu Ahmed whose appointment was approved last February by Ahmadu Bello University Governing Council.
Bala told journalists that the university was able to make headway under his watch largely due to the tremendous peace enjoyed and enormous goodwill from the university community.
This was in spite of the daunting challenges he was confronted with soon upon assumption of office, according to him.
He fingered the national lockdown arising from the COVID — 19 pandemic and the closure of the public universities due to the prolonged nationwide strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The Vice-Chancellor was also quick to point out other challenges that included the electricity crisis, which he said has become a serious challenge
“However, despite all these challenges we were able to make headway. The university enjoyed a great deal of peace, as there were no unrests either for students or staff,” he said.
Prof Bala also explained that he and his team worked hard to enhance ABU’s academic excellence through teaching, research, and community service.
Bala expressed satisfaction with the number of graduates from the university was producing every academic session since his appointment as the Vice-Chancellor.
He recalled that at one academic session a total of over 38,000 graduates were churned out.
The Vice-Chancellor attributed the success partly to the special resit examination introduced to help reduce the number of the spillover students.
He said that his greatest dream was to see Ahmadu Bello University win a Nobel Prize, stressing that with time the university would get there given its hardworking and brilliant scientists and other scholars.
According to the statement by the public affairs directorate of the University, Prof Bala also explained that it was his desire to see the provision of good working facilities for staff and good hostels for students.
