https://guardian.ng/interview/i-dont-feel-intimidated-in-the-midst-of-men/ on Fatima Batul Mukhtar

“For example, I rose through the ranks in my teaching career in the university, starting as Assistant Lecturer through to my current professorial position and I headed all the units/departments that were related to my field, inkling being a Dean. Honestly, I enjoyed the support of every other persons and majority of them are men. Besides, I have the support of my family and friends, so I really don ‘t feel threatened at all. I know that God is with me, because wherever I am and whatever I become, it is His doing and I am confident that He will not take me to a palace where I will be abused.”

“I guess so, because all I knew was studies. From the very beginning, I was focused. I knew what I wanted and I pursued and got what I wanted. So, it has always been with the assistance of God, because I lost my parents very early and I grew up with my grandparents, who did not interfere.”

“I recall that my father was permanent secretary in education in Kano State before he died in a plane crash, so I was aware his parents knew that he wanted us to pursue education and they did not interfere. I attended boarding schools from primary up to university at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. I can only say that I was focused and knew what I wanted. I did not know anything about business; the only I knew is studies, so are my siblings.We were 10 in number and out of all of us, nobody has below a Masters degree and we are all doing well.”

“But despite that, there are numerous challenges. One, you can see that there are some uncompleted structures that are actually capital intensive. We don’t even have a single road network in the university and there is also the problem of drainage, such that during the rainy season, the university gets extremely flooded and people find it difficult to navigate through the campus with vehicles, not to talk of walking on foot.”

“We sympathise with the students, who need a path to walk to the classrooms, library, clinic, everywhere that gets flooded. We see this as a major challenge in the university.”

“Secondly, we have a challenge of accommodation. The university started on a temporary campus and now, we only have one hostel each for the males and females, and the university is growing rapidly.”

“For a new university like ours to have a population of about 25,000 students in only five years of its establishment, I think it is very big and it is a big challenge accommodating the students.”

“So, majority of the students live outside the campus. Most parents don’t like their daughters to be outside the campus, but there is nothing we can do about it.”

“By September, we are going to admit a new set of students and new session would commence, but we don’t have places to accommodate them, because hostels are capital-intensive projects and are yet to be completed.Unless we get the funds to complete the two hostels, there will be a big problem. Inadequate office accommodation and lecture rooms are also major challenges. Because of the increasing population, you have to recruit and increase programmes and offices are not available.”

“TETFund does not go into hostel and road construction on campuses. So, these two major challenges are out and have to be the responsibility of the Federal Government to provide.”

“But in the other components, which TETFund intervenes, if you go through the campus, you will discover that most of the structures on ground carry the label of TETFund, showing that without TETFund, this university would not have been anywhere or grown as it is now. So, we can attribute the success of the university to TETFund intervention.”

“BUK is like father and mother to this institution, because we have receiving a lot of assistance from there, in terms of staffing. The vice chancellor there is always willing to let go of his staff to come and assist us to establish this university, because he knows that we need experienced staff and whenever we go there for even financial assistance, he renders.”

“For instance, during the pre-NUGA games, we went there for assistance and he assisted us in cash and kind, because we used some of their sports gears. Also, during our convocation, he assisted, so whenever we go to BUK for assistance, they are always ready to oblige us. For this, we remain eternally appreciative of the kind of father-figure role they play for this university.”