University students honour ex Bauchi governor, Abubakar

The Final year students of Faculty of Environmental Technology, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), in Bauchi state has conferred an award of excellence on the former governor of state, Mohammed Abubakar (SAN).

The students made the presentation of the award to the ex governor during a public lecture and magazine launch organised by the students.

Speaking during the ceremony, the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Muhammad AbdulAzeez, said that the students recognized and appreciated Abubakar for the priority given to education during his regime.

Also speaking shortly after receiving the award, the former governor said he felt elated to have received the award, especially coming from the youth and students of the state.

Abubakar explained that he held the education of the youth very dear in his heart, particularly, the type of education provided to the students by the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi state.

Speaking on the status of basic education four years after leaving office, Abubakar said that “I don’t have the statistics in respect of the success in the West African Examination Council or the National Examination Council in the state.

“However, in terms of physical infrastructure, the present government of the state has done its best. The inner workings, I wouldn’t know but the one I have seen, I have talked about.

“Education generally is still being faced with a lot of problems in the Northern parts of the country, partly because of the culture of our people and partly because of growth, meteoric rise in the population of this country.

“When I was going to school, the number of people going to school then was very small, that was why in my university days, weekly, we are entitled to pack our used clothes and keep them in front of our doors in our hostels.

“A laundry man would come and take them, wash, iron and bring them back to us and that was because our number was manageable.

“Today, the number has risen so much that the total number of people who need to go to school far outweighs the availability of the infrastructure.

“We need to pay in. Education is so important that it should not be left to the government alone,” he said.

He, however, called on government at all levels to be more dedicated towards improving the education system, especially, by accruing 20 per cent of its budget to education, adding that a lot needs to be done in the field of education in the country.