By David Dari, Keffi
The Nasarawa State College of Health Sciences and Technology Keffi, has matriculated 771 students who have successfully pass their screening and measurement test to read various courses ranging from Certificate Diploma, National Diploma and High National Diploma for the 2020/2012 academic session with the task on them to face their studies with seriousness.
Speaking during the matriculation ceremony that took place at the new site of the college along keffi-Abuja express way last week, the Provost of the college Alhaji Suleiman Abdullahi Mohammad stated that the institution was established in 1999 with back up laws enacted in 2002 as a school, but in 2015 a member representing Keffi West constituency then Hon. Ibrahim Bala sponsored a bill to upgrade the school to a college status, but could not see the light of the day due to certain political reasons until the coming of the present administration of Governor A Sule who made it possible.

He stated that the management of the college has been using the signed laws as an advocacy tool for collaboration with so many federal MDAs and Educational institutions like the National Board for Technical Education NBTE, Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, National Board for Technical Incubation NBTI  and others
According to him,the college has started reaping from such partnership as with the development it was able to advanced, upgrade and ensure the accreditation of almost all it’s academic programmes.
The Provost disclosed that during his three years stay as the Sole Administrator of the college two new courses in Pharmacy Technicians and Dispensing Optician Programme of which the first set would be graduated by August this year and the existing Food Hygiene course has been upgraded to Diploma in Nutrition and Dietetics.
Abdullahi further disclosed that arrangements are in the process of introducing more courses of health importance to the state and the country to include Dental Technicians, Orthopedic and Trauma Technician, Radiograph, x-ray Technicians as well as Medical Biostatistics to the teaming students wishing to make a carrier in such fields especially that the state’s government under the leadership of Engineer A A Sule has graciously provided them with a befitting permanent site for them to expand and enhance their academic activities.
He further disclosed that to commensurate with the upgrade of the school to college status it has recorded a remarkable success where it emerges the third amongst the 54 similar institutions across the country adding that the breakdown of its programmes at the end scores shows that in HND Environmental Health 70%, ND Environmental Health 61%,PD Community Health Information Management, Medical Laboratory Technicians, Nutrition and Dietetics as well as Pharmacy Technicians all scored and excellent results while those in certificate course on Junior Community Health and Environmental Health Assistants also make an excellent results.
On the challenges facing the institution the Provost stated that they includes the acute shortage of provisional and critical human resources which made them to hires the services of over 40 volunteers to teach in various aspects as well as inadequate overhead to maintain the college especially now with its relocation to a befitting complex where maintainance would be tasking.
In his address at the occasion the state’s commissioner of Health Pharmacy Ahmed Baba Yahaya who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Dr. Jenet Angbazo congratulated the matriculating students and tasked them to give their studies the upmost priority and avoid indulging in activities that would bring set back for their dreams or aspirations.
He then assured the school of the continue support and assistance from the state’s government to enable it continue to excel in it’s academic activities for the manpower development and provision to the state and the nation at large with a view of the priority attached to it.
Also in his keynote address the founder and proprietor of the Premier Academic Keffi, Alhaji Ibrahim Danjuma Abdullahi admonished the students to see their admission as a golden opportunity for them to build their carries and become useful members of the society as such they should be up and doing and stay away from anything that would distract their academic activities.