Tinubu appoints Bishop Kukah as Pro-Chancellor

By Austine Agbo Emmanuel, Kaduna

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, Kaduna State.

The appointment was disclosed on Monday in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga.

According to the President Media Aide,
the appointment underscores the administration’s commitment to leveraging seasoned leadership in advancing tertiary education, particularly in applied sciences, a sector crucial to national development.

In addition to Bishop Kukah, President Tinubu also named principal officers for the newly acquired university, including Prof. Qurix Williams Barnabas as Vice Chancellor, Sanusi Gambo Adamu as Registrar, Ibrahim Dalhat as Bursar, and Prof. Daniel Abubakar as University Librarian.

Further strengthening the university’s governance, the President also approved the appointment of Mr. Thomas Etuh (North Central), Chief Fabian Nwaora (South East), Prof. Femi Taiwo (South West), and Zarah Bukar (North East) as members of the institution’s Governing Council.

The statement revealed that the appointees were chosen based on their distinguished careers, leadership experience, and commitment to educational advancement.

The President charged the new appointees to establish the university as a center of academic excellence, aligning with his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The Federal University of Applied Sciences, formerly known as Nok University, was recently acquired by the federal government and is set to admit its first cohort of students in September 2025.

The appointment of Kukah, a renowned cleric and advocate for social justice, is seen as a strategic effort to foster national cohesion while advancing educational development.