Brigadier-General Clement Olubunmi Ojo is the Rector, Nigerian Army Institute of Technology and Environmental Studies (NAITES) Biu, Borno state. In this interview with MUSA UMAR BOLOGI, he speaks on some technological breakthrough recorded and challenges facing the school.
Which segment of the public is this school established to cater for?
NAITES was established in 2001 to train middle-level manpower for both military and civil establishments in the country.
It commenced under Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering (NASME), Markudi, Benue state, with the Commandant of NASME also serving as the Rector of the school. However, in 2010 the school was given full autonomy. The autonomy came to full effect in 2014, and I was appointed the substantive Rector of the institution.
What is the percentage of military to civilians in terms of personnel and students?
For now we have 30 percent military and 70 percent civilian personnel. Even in the number of students, we admit more civilians than military personnel. At present, we have 2,800 students population. The institution is made up of five schools, namely: School of Environmental Technology, School of Engineering, School of Management, School of General Studies, and School of Natural Sciences and Computer.
We have an advantage over other higher institutions in the country, as we do no gone on strike. This means that our students will graduate as at when due. Our students are also well disciplined.
What informed the relocation, and what are the challenges of relocating the institution from Makurdi to Biu?
The challenges are enormous, but they are surmountable. We have started bringing our logistics requirement here. Contraction of lecture halls and offices are still going on in our permanents site.
Even when NAITES was located in the premise of NASME in Makurdi, it is expected that it will expand with time. At a point due its expansion, NAITES almost took over the entire premise of NASME. It, therefore, became necessary to relocate to school to a place where it could have the necessary space for expansion. Hence, that informed the relocation of the school to Biu, Borno state.
What are likely impacts of the institution on the community?
When an institution like this is located in community, there are some many opportunities that come with it. There is going to be job opportunities for the people of Biu Emirate in particular, and the entire North east in general. This will also translate to economic development of the entire North east. When you look at the entire North east that is ravaged by insurgency, this institution is going to restore confidence back to the region.
How do you intent to handle movement of student from Makurdi to Biu without disrupting the school’s academic calendar?
After the approval was given by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) for the relocation of the institution, the management sat down and looked at the strategy we are going to adopt. We discovered that moving the entire institution at once from Makurdi to Biu will be counterproductive, because many students may not be willing to relocate.
Therefore, we have taken the option of relocating in phases. We are executing the first phase of our plan by relocating the School of Management first. This is because we don’t have to expend resources in building laboratories for the school before it is relocated, like other schools.
Another plan we took is that we came down here and advertise for admission for new students. Right now we have commenced interview for the new students. The students in Makurdi are not relocating to this place. Those students that are already in National Diploma II and Higher National Diploma II programmes will complete their programmes in Makurdi. The students we are going to admit in our permanent site here are coming as fresh students.
We have interview 300 students for admission into the School of Management. For our next intake we conducted interview both in Makurdi and Biu, as a concern for prospective students that may not be able to travel to Biu for the interview. But all new students for next academic session will be resuming in Biu permanent site.
With successful completion of the relocation of School of Management, we hope by next year we shall begin the relocation of other Schools. By that time we will have completed most of our structures that are now under construction in the permanent site.
What are the specific areas of breakthrough the institution has achieved?
We have had several breakthroughs in our school of engineering. During the last Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL) in Gusau, Zamfara state, we showcased our latest innovations in the area of drone technology that we can be used to support military operations. We have also developed and printed auto-photo maps that will troops in defensive and advance locations during operations. We have also came out with many innovations for industrial usage.
What is your vision for the institution in the next five years?
My vision for the school is that in the next five years it will have reached an enviable height that will be admired by pother institutions in the Nigeria and other countries across the world.
