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… Plans to constructs 1,600-bed-space students’ hostel
From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
The Vice-Chancellor of Rev Fr Moses Orshio Adasu University Makurdi (MOAUM), Prof. Timothy Alabar, has disclosed that the institution has successfully secured a N2 billion Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) special intervention for the construction of a new Faculty of Architecture within his first six months in office.
Alabar disclosed this on Monday in Makurdi while briefing newsmen on his stewardship since assuming office as the 8th Vice-Chancellor of the university on February 10, 2026.
He said the intervention, for which a contract had already been awarded, would address critical infrastructural needs of the Faculty of Architecture and provide improved learning spaces for students and staff.
The VC said “Following the approval of the intervention, the contract for the project has been awarded, marking a significant milestone towards addressing the infrastructural needs of the faculty.
“The project, when completed, will strengthen the university’s physical infrastructure, improve the learning space, and contribute to the expansion and development of Architecture education in the institution.”
The Vice Chancellor said he focus of his administration is clearly defined and its policies anchored on three major pillars including students’ welfare, staff welfare and facilities, stressing that the objective was to create an environment conducive to teaching, learning, research and personal development.
According to him, 9,541 students were matriculated into various undergraduate programs for the 2025/2026 academic session, while Postgraduate School admission exercise for the 2025/2026 academic session was successfully conducted with its Orientation and 14th Lecture Series held on 24th April, 2026.
He said the university successfully conducted its first semester examinations for undergraduate programmes adding that all outstanding examination results for the 2024/2025 session had been cleared and approved by Senate.
Alabar said seven academic programmes of the University underwent accreditation by the National Universities Commission (NUC), with five securing full accreditation and two obtaining interim accreditation.
The programmes with full accreditation include Statistics, Medical Laboratory Science, Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, while Radiography and Radiation Science and Political Science received interim accreditation.
He further disclosed that the university inducted its first set of 57 Bachelor of Nursing graduates into the nursing profession in May, while the 12th set of medical doctors from the institution was inducted by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria in June.
On staff welfare, Alabar said the university released the results of the 2025 promotion exercise involving 389 staff, comprising 313 non-teaching and 76 academic staff.
He added that professorial assessments had also commenced as part of efforts to ensure career progression and maintain academic standards.
He said the institution had also approved the employment of its first-class graduates, subject to screening, as part of measures to retain outstanding talents and encourage students to pursue academic excellence.
The Vice Chancellor disclosed that the university had paid five months’ pension arrears to newly boarded retirees and four months to already boarded pensioners, while outstanding approved sundry allowances owed deserving staff had also been paid.
In the area of infrastructure, Alabar said his administration had reactivated the university-wide water reticulation system, commenced the settlement of its outstanding electricity debt to the Jos Electricity Distribution Company, and undertaken the rehabilitation of several critical facilities, including lecture theatres, hostels, the library and staff offices.
He also announced the commencement of construction of a 1,600-bed-space students’ hostel under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, saying the project would substantially address the accommodation challenges confronting students.
The Vice Chancellor said the university had strengthened its security architecture through the installation of CCTV cameras at strategic locations, blocking of six illegal routes allegedly used by criminal elements to steal university property, and approval for the construction of two additional security towers along the river bank.
On research and innovation, Alabar said the university secured TETFund approval for 41 academic and non-teaching staff to present research papers at conferences within and outside Nigeria, valued at N94.84 million, alongside a N9.54 million National Research Fund intervention.
He said the university had also established a Centre for Research Innovation and Grant Management and joined the UNDP-supported UNIPOD innovation initiative, which is expected to provide facilities for research, creativity, prototyping, entrepreneurship and technology development.
He, however, acknowledged that the institution still faced challenges, including inadequate accommodation, unreliable power supply, pressure on medical services, financial difficulties among students, staff welfare obligations, ageing infrastructure and the need for improved ICT facilities.
He said the administration would pursue funding from government, TETFund, internally generated revenue, public-private partnerships, alumni, development partners, grants and corporate sponsorships to address the challenges and sustain the university’s development.
