The National Universities Commission has granted the Gombe State Government an Operational Licence for the establishment of Lincoln University Malaysia, Kumo Campus in Akko Local Government Area.
The Deputy Governor of Gombe State, Manassah Daniel Jatau, along with the Founder and Pro-Chancellor of Lincoln University, officially received the operational licence in Abuja.
The application process for the establishment of the university began several years ago under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement between the Gombe State Government and Lincoln University Malaysia.
The PPP programme is designed to foster collaboration between the government and the private sector in providing quality education, infrastructure, and sustainable development, ensuring efficiency and shared responsibility.
Following approval by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission, NUC, Dr. Jatau, who led a delegation representing Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, received the licence at the NUC Headquarters in Abuja.
While receiving the certificate, the Deputy Governor expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Minister of Education, and the National Universities Commission for approving the establishment of the institution.
Dr. Jatau stated that it is the intention of the Gombe State Government to make the state the educational hub of the North-East sub-region, emphasising that education remains a top priority of the administration.
“I assure you, the university you are going to see will be different, just like all the other universities in Gombe State. The state will become the educational hub of the North-East,” the Deputy Governor declared.
He stressed the need for Nigerian universities to become centres of solutions to the nation’s socio-economic challenges through relevant research and innovation.
“The time has come for our universities to conduct research that solves our people’s problems. Otherwise, a day will come when the people will ask, ‘What is the significance of our education?’ We must move beyond long grammar and engage students in practical research that addresses our developmental challenges,” he said.
Dr. Jatau added that the new university would ensure that students are engaged in community-based research to identify local needs and develop practical solutions.
He charged the management of Lincoln University to give their best for the educational and socio-economic development of Gombe State, the North-East region, and Nigeria at large.
Presenting the certificate, the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, NUC, Prof. Yusuf Abdullahi Ribadu, congratulated the Gombe State delegation and Lincoln University Malaysia on the approval.
He noted that several private universities are emerging across the country and urged Lincoln University to live up to its international reputation.
“As a campus operating in Kumo, Gombe State, the university should emulate its main campus in Malaysia to maintain the high Malaysian academic standard,” Prof. Ribadu said.
He explained that the approval was granted under the Transnational Education (TNE) programme, which allows foreign universities to operate in Nigeria through collaborative partnerships.
The university, he added, may commence academic activities immediately or at any convenient time, saying the NUC has approved three faculties for the takeoff of the university, which are the Faculty of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, the Faculty of Science and Computing, and the Faculty of Management and Social Sciences.
Members of the delegation included the Founder and President of Lincoln University College Malaysia, Professor Amiya Bhaumik; Pro-Chancellor, Lincoln University College Malaysia, Prof. Dato Hajah Bibi Florina Abdullahi; the Vice-Chancellor of Lincoln University Kumo Campus, Prof. Sadiq Adamu, among others.
Olusola Akintonde