# Fatima Batul Mukhtar

Fatima Batul Mukhtar (born 23 May 1963) is a Nigerian academician, a Professor of Botany. Her research interest are centered on growth regulation, biostatistics, biotechnology and plant conservation. she was appointed Vice Chancellor of Federal University Dutse by former President Muhammadu Buhari where she served between 2016 and 2021.

## Quotes

* The university has performed exceptionally well when the National University Commission (NUC) came for accreditation of its academic programmers in May/June last year where approval was given to the university to run eight programmes.
** Prof Fatima speak on Accreditation in 2018.
* Managing and consolidating on the foundation of a university that is so young owed a great challenges which is commonly traceable to the dearth of resources that typically characterises our economy in the last few years.
** Prof Muktar speak at convocation event in 2018.
* The anti-diabetic drug has gotten ethical approval for the clinical trial by the Kano state hospital management board.
** Prof Muktar speak on newly developed anti-diabetic drug in 2018.
* I thanked TETFund for providing the necessary funding to execute noble projects in the school.
** Prof Fatima appreciate TETFund in 2019.
* Saddling our students with worthless cardboard papers in the name of certificates has never been the objective of Federal University Dutse.
** Prof Fatima speak on standards of the university in 2019.
* We would ensure that the university becomes a service to the community and to national development. I would like to say with all sincerity that establishing TETFund was the best thing that had happened to higher education in Nigeria.
** Prof Muktar speak on University and Higher Education in 2019.
* The university is proposing four new programmes in the Faculty of Management Sciences, apart from the five existing programmes.
** Prof Fatima on new programmes in 2019.
* Equally, the students’ population has steadily increased from 202 in 2012 to the current number of 9,491.
** Prof Fatima speak on increase in the population of students in 2020.
* No, I don’t feel intimidated at all, because I have been working for several years now and I have been used to being alone in the midst of men and I have always gained the support of the men. They have never looked at me as a woman.
** Speaking on her not been intimidated by men
* 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.
** Speaking on her drive
* The challenges are many, actually. Let say that my predecessor has done quite well during his stay in the five years of the establishment of the university, because it was during his period that all the structures you have seen were put on ground.
** Speaking on the challenges that come with been the VC
* The universities are mostly run on committee system and this should be encouraged.But when I came, I discovered there were many committees that were redundant and some non-existent.
** Speaking on committee system in universities
* Besides, we have accessed a lot of our intervention funds, because during the course of the last interaction we had with TETFund officials, we have seen areas we have not accessed and why, but suffice it to say that most of our normal interventions have been completed.
** Speaking on accessing funds for the institution
* 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.
** Speaking on her focus that has pushed her to success

## Quotes about Fatima Batul Muktar

* They just selected and appointed Vice-Chancellor to takeover from professor Fatima Batul mukhtar after the confirmation by President Muhammadu Buhari.
** Chairman of the University Governing council, Alhaji Ahmad Alti on the appointment of the new Vice-chancellor followed the expiration of the tenure of Professor Fatima in 2020.
* The clinical trial will commence at the Muhammad Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital Kano very soon.
* The university has performed exceptionally well when the National University Commission (NUC) came for accreditation of its academic programmers in May/June last year where approval was given to the university to run eight programmes.
* The university has signed an important MoU with Morgan State University, Baltimore USA, the scope of the agreement covers students exchange, Faculty staff exchange programmes for teaching and research, conferences and workshops, exchange of academic programme materials, joint distance learning and research and publication.
* These B.A English, B.Sc political Science, B.Sc Botany, B.Sc Chemistry and B.Sc Zoology got full accreditation while B.Sc Biotechnology and B.Sc Computer Science got interim accreditation.
* The university has finalised arrangement for the establishment of the faculty of management science September this year, the programmes that we shall mount in the faculty include B.Sc. Taxation, Business Management, Accounting, Banking and Finance and Actuarial Science by 2019.
* The Chancellor of the university, the Aku Uka of Wukari, his majesty Dr Shekarau Anygyu Masa Ibi Kuvyon II shall be awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree of the university (D.Litt)‎.
* 427 students are graduating with degrees in different discipline‎s. “54 have made first class, 223 obtained second class upper division, 149 obtained second class lower division while one got the third class”.
* I thanked TETFund for providing the necessary funding to execute noble projects in the school. They have gone a long way in accelerating our development to the level we are today and securing of accreditation of the programmes from the National Universities Commission (NUC).
* We would ensure that the university becomes a service to the community and to national development. I would like to say with all sincerity that establishing TETFund was the best thing that had happened to higher education in Nigeria.
* The student who emerged winner to beat other 95 participating countries was a First Class graduate of the Department of Environmental Management and Toxicology.
* FUD will offer employment to the deserving student as a mark of appreciation of his ‎efforts.
* The university had signed MoU’s with a number of foreign universities and scholarly centres, including the University of North Dakota, Morgan University, and the International Islamic University of Kelantan.
‎* The university has graduated no fewer than 839 students who have completed their degree and post graduate programmes for the 2017/2018 session. Of the number mentioned, 558 students will graduate with degrees in different disciplines,14 having made the first class division, 222 second class upper, 222 second class lower, and 70 third class.
* For the first time since the creation of the university in 2011, it is graduating 281 post graduate students, the development as a thing of pride and a first from among its nine peers.
* 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.
* The convocation will be proceeded by a pre-convocation lecture on Friday, March 02, 2018 by pm at the GST Auditorium at the permanent site of the institution by the former minister of Education professor Ruqqayyatu Ahmed Rufai.
* The scope of the agreement covers students exchange, Faculty staff exchange programmes for teaching and research, conferences and workshops, exchange of academic programme materials, joint distance learning and research and publication.