UNIMAID alumni visits varsity, meets VC, officials and students

By Abubakar Haruna Muhammad

The University of Maiduguri Alumni Association, Global, has paid a two-day courtesy visit to the university, during which it met and engaged with the management and other stakeholders on plans to reposition the association.

The visit was also aimed at strengthening partnership and collaboration between the association and the university.

The team arrived at the Muhammadu Buhari International Airport, Maiduguri, on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the delegation met with the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Mohammed Laminu Mele, in his office to discuss partnership, support for the institution, and to present the new leadership of the association that was elected in December last year.

During the interaction, the Director of Partnership, Linkages and Alumni Affairs, University of Maiduguri, Prof. Shehu Mustapha Liberty, said alumni play a key role in supporting institutions globally.

“Globally, alumni play the expected key role of supporting the institution. This is what is obtainable all over the world. When you go to Harvard and other universities, you find that the alumni actually do a lot,” he said.

He cited examples of alumni supporting students with fees and facilities, and noted that UNIMAID has produced four alumni who have occupied the office of Vice Chancellor.

“The majority of us in the university today — professors, deans, heads of department, directors — are all products of the University of Maiduguri,” he added.

In his remarks, the President of the association, Baba Shettima Kukawa, said the visit had three main objectives: to formally present the new Executive Committee, to appreciate the university for its support, and to outline plans to reposition the association as a professional and dependable partner.

He described the association’s agenda as “unity, structure, and impact,” noting that while UNIMAID is 50 years old, the alumni association was only registered in 2012 and conducted its first election of an executive committee in 2025.

“We have over 5,300 registered members worldwide within a month of opening the portal,” he said.

The president said the association is conducting the first national elections for all chapters on 4th September across the 36 states and the FCT, and is setting up professional guilds, starting with accountants and engineers.

Other initiatives include mentorship programs for students, and the annual general meeting and awards night slated for 7th November 2026 in Abuja under the theme “Unity, Resilience and Impact: Building UNIMAID and Strengthening the Nation.”

At the event, the association will formally launch a scholarship endowment for deserving students. The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, a proud alumnus, will be invited as Special Guest of Honour.

The association also requested the university’s support to verify registered members and to establish a seamless process for inducting graduating students into the alumni body.

In response, the Vice Chancellor said it was time for a “reset and a new commitment” for the alumni to help the university, citing funding challenges and infrastructure needs.

“For many years, we have been highly disappointed in the alumni of the University of Maiduguri as an association, not the individual alumnus. Individually, different alumni have been helping the university,” he said.

He commended the new executive for its early engagement and pledged the university’s full support through the Directorate of Advancement and Alumni Relations.

“As a university, we will continue to give our full support. And that is why we have the directorate,” Prof. Mele said.

He also advised the association to ensure broad consultation ahead of state chapter elections to avoid disunity, and approved all requests for partnership, including member verification and collaboration on the upcoming AGM.

The VC highlighted ongoing government support to the university, including the renovation of hostels and theatres, provision of scholarships, and solar installations.

The alumni pledged to support the university through scholarships, infrastructure support, mentorship, advocacy, and mobilization of goodwill across Nigeria and the diaspora.

Meeting Stakeholders

The alumni also visited the Abdul-Samad Rabiu International Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the school.

At the centre, they met and had a brief discussion with its Director, Prof. Dauda Mohammed.

Introducing some of their activities and plans, Prof. Dauda said UNIMAID has been running an entrepreneurship program for more than 10 years with over 70,000 graduates passing through it. But when they conducted research, they could not locate one graduate who had established a workshop or an enterprise using that knowledge and those skills; hence, the need for a rethink.

“We now understand that there was a gap, and that is innovation, which will translate the ideas and skills into a tangible product or a service,” he said.

He explained that they also understood that students are not interested in entrepreneurship programs offered in the school or anywhere else without aligning them with current trends, especially with regard to the use of mobile phones and social media.

The Director also mentioned some major partnerships and interventions they had received from individuals, government and international bodies, as well as investments they had generated running into billions of naira.

“When the Abdul-Samad Rabiu team came and learned about our activities, they were excited and said this is one of the most important projects they have executed because it has already gotten a return on investment, and they are now trying to do more,” Prof. Dauda said.

In response, the alumni commended and congratulated the director on their achievements and assured him of their commitment to key into their programs to attract more interventions and other resources.

Similarly, the Head of Department, Political Science, Dr. Kamselem Shehu, received the alumni’s delegation in his office, where he acknowledged the importance of the association in influencing meaningful changes in the university.

He said that while collaboration with the school management is necessary, he pleaded that they should create an avenue for direct engagement with departmental units, noting that would enable them to key into their programs and projects and ensure timely impact.

Meeting with the Students

The alumni also met and interacted with students on campus.

During a brief meeting with the Students Union Government, SUG, representatives, the student leaders urged the alumni to assist in the provision of important projects and programs that will directly touch the lives of students on campus.

The SUG President, Aliyu Idris Dakasku, called for the rebuilding of the Student Parliament Chamber for proper student engagement and collaboration, noting that the facility has not been in use because of its dilapidated condition.

They also requested the alumni to help with advocacy that would attract intervention for the building of more hostels and the renovation of older ones to ensure an affordable and conducive learning environment for students living on campus.

Among other things, the students’ representatives asked for strong synergy between the alumni and the SUG to promote mentorship, orientation and opportunities; a move they believe will translate into impactful development.

Addressing the SUG, the alumni president said although their main focus now is building the alumni association, they will look into the students’ requests and see where they can come in.