…is committed to turning Gombe into a citadel for research, learning and education
Gombe State Deputy Governor Dr Manassah Daniel Jatau, accompanied by the Founder and Chancellor of Lincoln University, on Monday officially received the operational license for the establishment of Lincoln University Kumo Campus in Malaysia.
The application process for the establishment of the University began a few years ago under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement between the Gombe State Government and Lincoln University Malaysia.
The PPP program was designed to foster collaboration between the government and the private sector to provide quality education, infrastructure and sustainable development, ensuring efficiency and shared responsibility.
Following the approval of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC), Manassah Jatau, who led a delegation representing Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, was licensed at the NUC headquarters in Abuja.
Receiving the certificate, the deputy governor expressed his gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Minister of Education and the National Universities Commission for approving the establishment of the institution.
Jatau stated that the intention of the Gombe State Government is to make the state the educational hub of the North Eastern sub-region, stressing that education remains one of the top priorities of the administration.
“I assure you that the university you will see will be different, like all other universities in Gombe State. The state will become the educational hub of the North East,” the deputy governor stated.
He further highlighted the need for Nigerian universities to become centers of solutions to the country’s socio-economic challenges through relevant research and innovation.
“The time has come for our universities to conduct research that solves the problems of our people. Otherwise, the day will come when people will ask, ‘What is the importance of our education?’ “We must go beyond extensive grammar and engage students in practical investigations that address our developmental challenges,” he said.
He added that the new University would ensure that students engage in community research to identify local needs and develop practical solutions.
Jatau charged the management of Lincoln University to do its best for the educational and socio-economic development of Gombe State, the North East region and Nigeria at large.
Presenting the certificate, the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Yusuf Abdullahi Ribadu, congratulated the Gombe State delegation and Lincoln University Malaysia for the approval.
He noted that several private universities are emerging across the country and urged Lincoln University to live up to its international reputation.
“As a campus operating in Kumo, Gombe State, the university should emulate its main campus in Malaysia to maintain the high Malaysian academic standard,” Ribadu said.
He explained that the approval was granted under the Transnational Education (TNE) programme, which allows foreign universities to operate in Nigeria through collaborative partnerships.
The university, he added, may start academic activities immediately or at any convenient time.
According to him, the NUC approved three faculties for the take-off of the university: the Faculty of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, the Faculty of Science and Informatics and the Faculty of Management and Social Sciences.
Members of the delegation included Founder and President of Lincoln University College Malaysia, Pro-Chancellor of Lincoln University College Malaysia, Prof. Dato Hajah Bibi Florina Abdullahi; the Vice Chancellor of Lincoln University Kumo Campus, Prof. Sadiq Adamu; the Vice Chancellor of Gombe State University, Prof. Sani Ahmed Yauta; and former Higher Education Commissioner Daufa Batari Zambuk, among others.
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