13/01/2026
REVEREND MUTUM RAISES ALARM ON THE EMASCULATION OF KASU KAFANCHAN CAMPUS
♦️Abstract
Kaduna State University (KASU) Kafanchan Campus was conceived as a strategic intervention to expand access to tertiary education, promote inclusion, and drive regional development in Southern Kaduna. However, over the years, the campus has suffered systematic neglect manifesting in chronic underfunding, poor infrastructure, policy inconsistencies in admissions, staff deployment challenges, and weak advocacy from key stakeholders. This paper examines the historical background of the campus, interrogates the factors contributing to its emasculation, and proposes practical recommendations for the survival, revitalization, and repositioning of KASU Kafanchan Campus as a viable academic community.
1. Introduction
Universities are not only centers of learning but also engines of social mobility, peacebuilding, and economic development. The establishment of KASU Kafanchan Campus was welcomed with great hope by the people of Southern Kaduna as a symbol of inclusion within Kaduna State’s educational architecture. Sadly, that hope has been steadily eroded by deliberate and structural actions that have weakened the campus to a near-comatose state. This paper argues that what KASU Kafanchan Campus is experiencing goes beyond administrative inefficiency; it reflects a pattern of emasculation that threatens its very existence.
2. Brief History of KASU Kafanchan Campus
Kaduna State University was established in 2004 as part of the state government’s effort to expand higher education opportunities. In furtherance of this vision, the Kafanchan Campus was created to serve Southern Kaduna and adjoining communities. The campus was designed to decongest the main campus in Kaduna City, foster regional balance, and stimulate local development through education.
Initially, KASU Kafanchan Campus recorded modest growth, with student admissions, academic programs, and staff deployment giving residents a sense of belonging within the state university system. Over time, however, policy shifts, security narratives, and administrative decisions steadily undermined the campus, reversing earlier gains and weakening its institutional footing.
3. Chronic Underfunding and Infrastructure Decay
One of the most visible manifestations of the emasculation of KASU Kafanchan Campus is chronic underfunding. The campus has been left with:
Dilapidated academic and administrative buildings
▶️Inadequate lecture halls and learning facilities
▶️Poor hostel and staff accommodation conditions
▶️Insufficient laboratories and libraries
▶️Particularly disturbing is the total denial of alternative and standby sources of electricity. In an era where even rural institutions are exploring solar energy, KASU Kafanchan Campus has no functional backup power supply, not even solar-powered street lights. This neglect affects security, academic productivity, and the general learning environment, portraying the campus as an abandoned outpost rather than a state-owned university.
4. Staff Deployment and the Politics of Refusal
Another major challenge is the deliberate refusal of some staff, particularly from the northern part of the state, to resume duties at the Kafanchan Campus even after securing appointments with the university. This trend has led to:
▶️Acute shortage of academic and non-academic staff
▶️Overburdening of available personnel
▶️Weak academic programming and morale
The failure of the university management to enforce postings or provide incentives for staff deployment further entrenches inequality between campuses and reinforces the perception that Kafanchan Campus is expendable.
5. Insecurity Narrative and Arbitrary Closure
Security concerns have been repeatedly used as justification for the closure or relocation of the campus. There were instances where students formally wrote to the state government citing insecurity in Kafanchan. Rather than strengthening security, the response often resulted in the campus being closed or academic activities relocated to Kaduna City.
This pattern raises critical questions: why is insecurity in other parts of the state addressed with security interventions, while insecurity in Kafanchan is answered with institutional withdrawal? Such responses reinforce marginalization and validate fears that insecurity is being instrumentalized to weaken the campus.
6. Admission Policies and Deliberate Depopulation
Perhaps the most damaging policy inconsistency is the refusal or drastic reduction of admissions into KASU Kafanchan Campus. In previous years, the university offered admission to candidates who did not initially apply for the Kafanchan Campus, and both candidates and parents accepted these offers in good faith.
The critical question remains: why did the management of Kaduna State University stop offering admissions to Kafanchan Campus as it once did? Universities thrive on population students bring life, funding justification, staff deployment, and relevance. The deliberate shrinking of student numbers amounts to a slow and quiet suffocation of the campus.
7. Weak Advocacy by Key Stakeholders
The emasculation of KASU Kafanchan Campus has been worsened by the laxity of critical advocacy structures, including:
⏩The Students’ Union, which has failed to consistently and strategically engage management and government
⏩The immediate host community, whose agitation has not translated into sustained policy pressure
⏩Southern Kaduna People’s United Association (SOKAPU), which has not maximally leveraged its influence as a pressure and lobby group on this issue
Effective advocacy requires coordination, persistence, and strategic engagement, not episodic reactions when crises erupt.
8. The Relocation Rumour and Policy Silence
The rumour that went viral during the administration of Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai regarding the relocation of the university to Rigachikun resonated widely because it aligned with observable realities. While officially denied, the gradual stripping of Kafanchan Campus of students, staff, and infrastructure lends credibility to the fear that relocation de facto if not de jure has been underway.
Silence and lack of clear policy commitment from government only deepen mistrust and anxiety among stakeholders.
9. Recommendations
To arrest the decline and ensure the survival of KASU Kafanchan Campus, the following steps are recommended:
▶️Government Intervention
The current Governor of Kaduna State, who has demonstrated commitment to unity, progress, and inclusive development, is urged to urgently intervene. A deliberate policy statement affirming the survival and strengthening of KASU Kafanchan Campus is critical.
▶️ Deliberate Admission Policy
University management should intentionally offer admissions to swell student population to the required threshold that will make the campus academically and socially vibrant.
▶️ Infrastructure and Power Supply
Immediate investment in infrastructure, including solar-powered electricity and street lighting, should be prioritized to enhance security and academic productivity.
▶️ Staff Deployment and Incentives
Clear enforcement of staff postings, complemented by incentives such as accommodation and rural service allowances, should be implemented.
▶️ Strategic Advocacy
Southern Kaduna People’s United Association should function decisively as a pressure and lobby group to ensure that the plight of the campus is consistently seen and heard at state and institutional levels.
▶️ Local Investment and Ownership
Individual stakeholders and elected representatives from Southern Kaduna should invest materially in the campus to demonstrate seriousness and collective ownership of its survival
10. Conclusion
The fate of KASU Kafanchan Campus is a litmus test of equity, inclusion, and justice within Kaduna State’s educational policy. Allowing the campus to wither through neglect is not only an academic loss but a moral failure. Reviving it requires political will, institutional courage, and united advocacy from the people it was created to serve. The time to act is now before emasculation becomes extinction.
His Priestly Excellence
Rev'd Gideon Agwom Mutum
The Governor's Assembly
Kafanchan
