Baze University marks 15th Founder’s Day with debate, celebrates growth and academic excellence

Baze University celebrated its 2026 Founder’s Day with a student-centred programme that highlighted the institution’s growth, academic achievements, and commitment to leadership development.
 
The event, held on Wednesday, March 11, featured an inter-faculty debate competition and artistic performances by students under the theme “Legacy in Action: Students as Custodians of the Founders’ Vision.”
 
Speaking at the ceremony, the university’s Founder and Chancellor, Distinguished Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, PhD, FSAN, reflected on the institution’s journey since its establishment in 2011 and reiterated the role of education in national development.
 
He described education as a powerful tool for transformation and urged students to uphold the values of integrity, critical thinking, and innovation.
 
The Chancellor encouraged students to pursue excellence with determination and resilience while charging faculty members to continue their dedication to teaching, mentorship, and research.
 
Also speaking at the event, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Jamila Shuara, said the Founder’s Day celebration provides the university with an opportunity to honour the foresight, courage, and dedication of its founder, Distinguished Senator Baba-Ahmed, whose vision led to the establishment of the university in 2011.
 
According to her, at a time when Nigeria required institutions capable of delivering world-class education, the founder envisioned a university that would combine academic excellence, innovation, integrity, and global relevance. She noted that the institution continues to celebrate the enduring impact of that vision.
 
Professor Shuara added that the university has recorded significant growth since its inception, expanding from two faculties and about 20 students to nine faculties and a College of Medicine and Health Sciences. She disclosed that the institution currently offers 116 accredited undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and has produced more than 4,500 graduates.
 
She also noted that the university now enrols over 7,000 students and operates a teaching hospital equipped with modern facilities, adding that plans are underway for the take-off of the Baze Aviation School at the institution’s Bwari campus.
 
The Vice-Chancellor attributed the university’s progress to the dedication of faculty and staff, the enthusiasm of students, the loyalty of alumni, and the continued support of stakeholders.

As part of the celebration, students took centre stage in an inter-faculty debate on the motion “Investment in Education is the Most Sustainable Strategy for Nation Building: Myth or Imperative.” The team supporting the motion emerged as the winner, while Maryam Muktar was named Best Speaker.
 
The programme also featured spoken-word and poetry performances by students, reinforcing the institution’s emphasis on creativity, intellectual engagement, and student leadership.