President Bola Tinubu has appointed Bishop Matthew Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, Kaduna State.
The appointment, announced in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, also includes the naming of key principal officers for the institution.
Prof. Qurix Williams Barnabas has been appointed as Vice Chancellor, while Sanusi Gambo Adamu will serve as Registrar.
Other appointees include Ibrahim Dalhat as Bursar and Prof. Daniel Abubakar as University Librarian.
To ensure strong governance, Tinubu also approved the appointment of Mr. Thomas Etuh (North Central), Chief Fabian Nwaora (South East), Prof. Femi Taiwo (South West), and Zarah Bukar (North East) as members of the university’s Governing Council.
The statement noted that all appointees were carefully selected based on their distinguished careers, leadership experience, and commitment to advancing education in Nigeria.
President Tinubu urged them to leverage their collective expertise in positioning the university as a hub for academic excellence and research in line with his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“I urge you to use your collective expertise to position this university as a hub for academic excellence and research in line with our Renewed Hope Agenda,” the statement quoted Tinubu as saying.
He further tasked the newly appointed officers with providing visionary leadership and laying a solid foundation for the university, which is set to admit its first batch of students in September 2025.
The Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, formerly known as Nok University, underwent a transformation following the federal government’s takeover of its assets.
The restructuring is part of ongoing efforts to expand Nigeria’s higher education sector and enhance technical and applied sciences education.
Bishop Kukah, widely respected for his leadership and advocacy for education and national development, is expected to bring his wealth of experience to the university’s administration.
