Nasarawa State University, Keffi

NASARAWA STATE UNIVERSITY, KEFFI, was established under the Nasarawa State Law No. 2 of 2001 as passed by the State House of Assembly. The University came into being under the visionary and dynamic administration of Governor (Dr.) Abdullahi Adamu (Sarkin Yakin Keffi, Aare Obateru of the source, Ile-Ife), the first democratically elected Governor of Nasarawa State. The aim of establishing the University was, fundamentally, to provide an avenue for the indigenes of Nasarawa State to pursue and acquire University education, which in the long run, would prepare the graduates, and equip them with adequate skills needed for the development of the state and the country at large. Consequently, Governor Adamu was then “propelled by the burning desire to proffer solution to the subsisting problem of grave dearth in the supply of human endeavor that confronts our young states.” Accordingly, the Nasarawa State government then organized an education summit on the desirability or otherwise of a state University.

The educational summit came out with a conclusion that a Nasarawa State University is not only desirable, but also timely. Furthermore, Governor Abdullahi Adamu also set up a Technical Advisory Committee of experts on tertiary education to advise the government on a State University. The report of the committee was quite instructive and, which indeed, buttressed the unwavering conviction of the Administration for a State University.

Finally, in February 2002, after all ground work was concluded and logistics were put in place, the Nasarawa State University was born and sited in Keffi at the defunct College of Arts, Science and Technology (CAST). The University officially took off for effective academic activities following the appointment of an interim administrator (Vice Chancellor), Professor Adamu Baikie. Today, despite all odds associated with the take-off of a University, Nasarawa State University is on a solid foundation. The institution, under the able leadership of Professor Adamu Baikie (CON) and his lieutenants, has become a reference point with regards to proper procedure and practice in the University system in Nigeria.

Accordingly, the vision that propelled the establishment of Nasarawa State University is the greatest historical milestone in the educational evolution of Nasarawa State and its people. It is, therefore, the most laudable and everlasting legacy the Abdullahi Adamu-led Government has bequeathed to its people.