The Board of Trustees of Bingham University held a one day retreat at CSS Group of Companies in Karu Nasarawa State recently with a quest to move the University forward for societal impact.

Delivering his welcome address, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Haruna Kuje Ayuba expressed his gratitude to members of the Board of Trustees for their resilience and selfless service to the University.  He stated that the purpose of the retreat was amongst others  provide an avenue that will enrich  and give them  insights into what is required of them in order to steer the university in the right direction to achieve the vision of the founding fathers.

The Chairman, Board of Trustees and President of Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Rev. Dr. Job A. Bagat, while addressing the Board members, commended the University for the role it has been playing in contributing to national development through training and research. He charged the Board members not to lose sight of the call of God upon their lives, but to consider their membership as an opportunity from God to guide the university to chart the way forward .  

Dr. John Mairafi Ahmadu,  of the National Universities Commission (NUC) shared an overview of Nigeria Universities System since its establishment . He said that the Nigeria University System (NUS) has witnessed progression over the years with an increase in the number of universities in Nigeria with a current figure standing at 273. He stated that NUC has continued to evolve ensuring that its mandate and rule of engagement were being followed by Nigeria universities. He called on Nigerians to beware of fake universities.

Dr. Mairafi maintained that Nigeria universities must operate within the confines of the provisions of the law by providing and meeting NUC requirements for training of students.  He commended Bingham University for the effort it was making in quality training of her graduates.

He added that governance structure of any university was paramount to run and operate a successful university . He charged the stakeholders to ensure that good governance structures are put in place that will guarantee the desired results.

Prof. W. B. Qurix who presented a paper on the role of Funding and Budgeting in Private Universities, stated that, to sustain operation of Nigeria Universities funding and budgeting was crucial.

He intimated that the private universities must be deliberate and strategic in fund raising for university’s sustainability. He mentioned that research partnership, endowment and strategic initiatives are some of the areas private universities can explore to generate funds for its operations. 

Secretary General of the Committee of Vice-Chancellor’s of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) Professor Yakubu A. Ochefu stated that resource mobilization through collaboration and partnership were areas to explore in advancing the course of development in any private university. He outlined strategies to enhance their financial stability, academic offering through various forms of collaborations with governmental and private sector amongst others. He suggested that partnership with international organizations and corporate partnership will drive industry-academic initiatives. Prof Ochefu stated that the university must leverage on Alumni networks as they can greatly impact the university. He detailed the current initiatives by the university and other areas for improvement along with strategic questions and checklist for building effective partnership. 

The Managing Director and CEO of ECWA Portfolio Management Limited,Mr. Moses O. Kolawale, spoke on the role of BOT in fund raising for the University stating that financial sustainability was key to any organization. He proffered endowment as one way to consider  for attainment of  financial stability.  He further intimated stakeholders and actors to be deliberate in their actions to achieve financial goals.

The session ended with determination by Board members to achieve  the vision of the founding fathers as reiterated by the resource persons and ensure the sustainability of the university.