NTNU Positions for Educational Excellence

In just seven years, the Nigerian Turkish Nile University has made significant contributions to the development of higher education in Nigeria in its quest to become a centre of excellence.Uchechukwu Nnaike reports

Following the success story of the Nigerian Turkish International Collages (NTIC), established in 1998, many stakeholders clamoured for a tertiary institution and so the Nigerian Turkish Nile University (NTNU) was established in 2009 with over 1,200 students and four faculties.
Since then the university has not rested on its oars, as it keeps recording series of success stories.

The event was the fourth convocation ceremony of the institution in Abuja recently. Seated in the hall alongside 123 others was UdemeEno-Nta, his convocation gown did not reveal his identity. His look did not portray any message. He mixed freely with fellow students. Hardly would anyone believe that he was a first class material. He did not only make first class, he bagged it in computer science with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.91.

Eno-Nta, who emerged the overall best graduating student of the institution in the 2015/2016 academic session, said, “it was tough and challenging.”

According to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. SertHusenyi, “the turnover of graduands from the university has justified our vision and mission statement of producing quality graduates who will be full of knowledge, skills, and experience to contribute to technological and economic development.”

On the occasion of the fourth convocation ceremony, the hall was packed full with proud parents and relatives of the graduating students. Mr. Malik Amin, whose son was among the graduands, could not hide his excitement, he said: “I was in a dilemma at some point. I wanted the best tertiary education for my son and many people advised me to send him to the United Kingdom or Canada. But for some reasons, I wasn’t convinced I needed to send my son out of the country for his first degree.”

He added that “the decision to send my son to the Turkish Nile University remains one of the best decisions I have taken in my life.”
Also speaking, Huseyin said: “We have excellent teaching across the board, and we maintain Nigerian home values; we encourage the elite to send their children to our school instead of abroad where they come back with strange ways.”

The university solidified the burgeoning, mutually-beneficial relationship between Turkey and Nigeria and introduced one of the best models of a bi-culturally collaborative learning experience in Nigeria’s capital.

Huseyin said the university is fully accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and is a member of the Association of International Universities and has signed agreements with various Nigerian and international universities. He expressed hope that as its profile grows, more parents will choose the institution instead of sending their children abroad to study.
In the 2015/2016 academic year, a total of 11 students graduated with first class honours with the least of the lot garnering a CGPA of 4.50. While Eno-Nta made 4.91 from the Department of Computer Science, Aneesa Salah of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering made 4.87. The Department of Computer Science also produced the third best graduating student, OlabanjiOpeyemi whose CGPA is 4.83.

A breakdown of the first class graduates, shows that three students were from the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering; two from the Department of Computer Science; three from the Department of Political Science and International Relations; one each from the Departments of Economics, Business Administration and Chemistry (petroleum and petrochemicals concentration).
According to the Head, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Prof. OkechukwuUgweje, the first class graduates deserve the award. “We put in substantial efforts in ensuring that the students get the very best in a conducive environment. The department is well-equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and its graduates can compete favourably anywhere in the world.”

Some of the graduating students are already putting their knowledge to practice. For instance, JibrinTukur Othman of the Computer Science Department built a 3D model of the school; Aneesa Saleh of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering developed a traffic system prototype; and OlabanjiOpeyemiAfolabi of the Department of Computer Science developed a novel game story review application, to mention a few.

According to the registrar of the university, “a total of 124 students graduated in the 2015/2016 academic session. Of the number, 11 had first class honors; 68 had second class upper; 41 had second class lower degrees; and five students had third class degrees.”

The university currently has six faculties and 15 departments. The Law School and College of Health Sciences have also been established with full clearance from the NUC.

According to the Director of Academic Planning, Prof. Saleh Abdullah, “the Departments of Public Administration and Mass Communication will commence in the next academic session in October.”
The NTNU also has a postgraduate school with seven departments and 11 courses on offer. It also plans to start its PhD programmes at the beginning of next academic calendar upon securing the required approval from the NUC.