The Federal Government has allocated 1,000 housing units to the Federal University Dutse (FUD) under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Housing Programme.
The Vice-Chancellor of Federal University Dutse, Professor Ahmad Muhammed Gumel, announced during an interactive session with staff unions, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-academic staff unions (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
According to him, the allocation of the 1,000 housing units will significantly improve staff welfare, particularly in the area of accommodation, a long-standing challenge in many federal universities across the country.
Professor Gumel explained that one of the coordinators of the Renewed Hope Housing Scheme visited to congratulate him on his appointment and formally conveyed the allocation of the houses, located in Janguza, Kano State, to the university community.
Although the houses are situated in Kano, the Vice-Chancellor encouraged staff to take advantage of the opportunity, describing the units as valuable long-term assets.
He added that staff welfare remains a key pillar of his 11-point agenda.
As part of efforts to provide closer accommodation options, he disclosed that the university has written to the Jigawa State Government seeking to acquire parts of the Danmodi Housing Estate located near the campus.
He noted that the response from the state government has been positive.
Looking ahead, Professor Gumel said the university plans to explore Public-Private Partnership arrangements to construct staff quarters within the campus.
On staff development, the Vice-Chancellor emphasised that training and capacity building for both teaching and non-teaching staff will be prioritised.
He revealed plans to source funds for non-teaching staff training and introduce internal research grants for academic staff.
He also addressed concerns about the condition of the university staff school, directing the Registrar to set up a committee to reorganise and upgrade the school to acceptable standards.
In addition, Professor Gumel announced reforms in the promotion process.
Under the new system, promotion exercises will begin in April and conclude by October.
External assessors will now be given strict timelines to prevent delays in the promotion of academic staff.
He assured workers that the ongoing salary advance scheme will continue, while the university embarks on an aggressive drive to increase Internally Generated Revenue.
Areas targeted for revitalisation include the University Guest House, University Farm, Consultancy Services, and the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development.
The Vice-Chancellor called for unity, cooperation, and support from all unions, stressing that the success of the administration depends on collective effort.
For the staff of FUD, the development signals renewed efforts to address accommodation challenges and reposition the institution for greater stability and growth.
