Ahmed ILALLAH
In October 2024, the Jigawa State Government, under the leadership of Governor Umar Namadi, announced the acquisition of Khadija University, Majia, the first private university established in Jigawa State.
The Jigawa State Government purchased the university for N11 billion from its owners.
The state government explained that it acquired the university in order to rescue the institution from collapse and prevent it from falling into the hands of businessmen who established the university in Jigawa State.
According to the government, the acquisition would also boost investors’ confidence and encourage continued investment and business activities in the state.
The second reason given by the state government was that owning the university would help Jigawa expand access to tertiary education, an area in which the state has continued to face significant challenges.
The Jigawa State Government subsequently changed the university’s name and structure, transforming it into Jigawa State University of Health and Allied Sciences, with the institution focusing primarily on health-related programmes.
With the acquisition of the university, the number of state-owned universities in Jigawa increased to two.
Is There Any Benefit in Owning the University?
Considering that Jigawa State is among the states facing challenges in the area of tertiary education, having another state-owned university could help bridge the existing gap.
Transforming the university into a specialised institution for health sciences could also make a significant contribution to producing doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals for the state.
This is particularly important because Jigawa has continued to face shortages of healthcare personnel in its hospitals.
But Where Does the Problem Lie?
The first major issue is the availability of funds to run the university.
Before the acquisition of this university, the only state-owned university Sule Lamido University, Kafin Hausa relied partly on financial contributions from the 27 local government areas of the state every month.
It appears that a similar arrangement may be considered for the Majia-based university, with the local governments expected to contribute towards its operation and funding.
However, this initiative appears to be facing challenges, particularly from lecturers at Sule Lamido University, Kafin Hausa.
The lecturers have reportedly submitted a warning letter to the Jigawa State Government and threatened industrial action, with the issue forming part of their grievances against the state government.
However, the university staff and lecturers do not have control over how the government, as the owner of the institutions, decides to fund and allocate resources to them.
Another challenge is the availability of sufficient and qualified academic staff to run the university.
Since the institution has been transformed into a specialised university focusing on medicine and health-related disciplines, recruiting enough qualified lecturers and professionals could be difficult, given the shortage of such personnel in the country.
Nevertheless, regardless of the challenges, the acquisition of this university at this particular time can be considered a potentially beneficial development for the people of Jigawa State.
