UNIVERSITY OF JOS
(OFFICE OF THE VICE-CHANCELLOR)
INFORMATION, PUBLICATIONS, PUBLIC RELATIONS & PROTOCOL DIVISION
PRESS RELEASE
At the inception of the University of Jos in 1975, the Faculty of Engineering did not commence. The conceptual framework of the establishment of the Faculty of Engineering came to fruition about four (4) decades after the establishment of the University, precisely in the year 2014 with Engr. Prof. Stephen Jackdell Mallo as Coordinator and the subsequent Pioneer Dean of the new Faculty.
The Faculty of Engineering started with four academic Departments, namely; Civil Engineering, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Mining Engineering. The first set of students in the Department of Mining Engineering graduated in the 2018/2019 Academic session.
The Department started with 25 students, out of which 7 of them successfully made it to the final year in 2018/2019 Academic Session with one of them, Mr. Alabede Lukman, graduated with a First Class Honours.
Prof. Stephen J. Mallo was the first Head of the Department of Mining Engineering while Dr. Kayode A. Idowu was the Pioneer Level Coordinator and Examination Officer of the Department.
Engr. Arisekola O. Taiwo as Acting Head of Department, succeeded Prof. S. J. Mallo 2015.
On August 30, 2018, Mr. Caleb K. Aluwong took over as a Coordinator and he was succeeded by another Coordinator, Engr. Abayomi P. Akinola, on August 8, 2021.
The Department has since grown steadily and increased in both full-time, sabbatical, and visiting staff. In 2014, Prof. Stephen J. Mallo, Engr. Arisekola O. Taiwo, Mr. Caleb K. Aluwong and Dr. Kayode A. Idowu joined the Department as pioneer and full-time staff in the cadres of Professor, Senior Lecturer, Lecturer II and Lecturer II respectively while Engr. Theophilus I. Ojonimi joined the Department as a Graduate Assistant in 2015.
By 2018, the following members of staff were appointed by the University Management as full-time Lecturers of the Department. These are Engr. Abayomi P. Akinola, Engr. Kayode Komolafe, Engr. Martins M. Basu and Mr. Joshua D. Joro.
The Department has also at various times been joined on Sabbatical and Visiting Lecturer status to include Dr. Ebenezer A. O. Damisa on sabbatical in 2018 (and on visiting in 2019), Dr. Irniya S. Amoka as a Visiting Senior Lecturer to the Department in 2018.
In 2021, Dr Luqman K. Salati, Dr. Oladunni O. Alabi, Prof. Dunka Thomas and Prof. Thomas B. Afeni were all employed in the Department as Visiting Senior Lecturers and Professor respectively.
The current Acting Head of Department, Dr. Kayode A. Idowu took over the mantle of leadership on November 26, 2023 and he is also the Pioneer Coordinator of the Postgraduate programmes in the Department, while Dr. Ismail A. Okewale was recently employed as a Visiting Senior Lecturer on the 13th May 2024.
The general aim and objectives of engineering training should be in consonance with the realization of national needs and aspirations vis-à-vis industrial development and technology emancipation. The course has been designed with standards to meet these needs and to produce graduates in Engineering and Technology with sufficient academic background coupled with sufficient skills and practical experience and who are able to rise to the challenges of a developing economy. Such graduates must, therefore, be resourceful, skillful, creative and able to perform the following underlisted functions. Graduates in Engineering are to;
(i) design engineering projects and supervise their construction;
(ii) design and make components, machines, equipment and system;
(iii) design and develop new products and production techniques in industries;
(iv) install and maintain complex engineering systems so that they can perform optimally
in our environment;
(v) adapt and adopt exogenous technology and skills in order to solve local engineering
problems; and
(vi) imbibe entrepreneurial spirit and develop appropriate skills required for the world of
work both for taking and providing a job (employment).
Furthermore, the programme is established to: provide suitable personnel for the minerals and oil industry, serve as vehicle for rapid transformation of the Nigerian economy, train specialists in prospecting, mining, processing and marketing of mineral commodities and equipment, and train specialists in consulting, teaching and research.