FUTO VC advocates separate funding for universities of technology in Nigeria

The Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) has advocated for separate funding for universities of technology in the country.

The outgoing vice chancellor of the institution, Professor Francis C. Eze, said that as special institutions saddled with the responsibility of accelerating the pace of technological and human capital development, lumping these institutions with other universities would impede the nation’s march to world technological advancement and innovation.

Eze, a Professor of Physics and the seventh substantive vice chancellor of the institution stated this while briefing newsmen on his stewardship in the past five years he held sway as the chief executive of the university.

He said that apart from introducing so many new courses and securing their approval, his administration had equally attracted a N6 million, African Centre of Excellence, in addition to another World Bank Assisted Centre of Excellence estimated at 11 million dollars.

This, according to him, was aside from another Centre of Excellence Assisted by the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Bank.

He added that the university under his leadership had produced policy documents to enhance administration especially for appraisal and promotion of staff, student’s regulation, sexual harassment and anti-plagiarism documents.

He said, “Despite obvious challenges arising from the nation’s economic downturn, we have weathered the storm and introduced so many new courses and also secured their approvals”.

He listed these to include: School of Agricultural Engineering and Engineering Technology, creation of new faculty in Engineering and Engineering technology dubbed “School of Electrical Systems Engineering and Engineering Technology” with four new engineering courses.

Others he said are School of Biological Sciences, School of Health Technology with two departments: Information and Communication Technology Software Engineering, Cyber Security, as well as that of computer sciences.

Also created according to him are School of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Logistics and Innovation Technology with Project Management Technology, College Of Medicine which Houses School of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Basic Clinical Medicine.

He said that the institution had secured full accreditation for over 90 per cent of its courses mainly in engineering, the vice chancellor, however, regretted that unbridled and unabated encroachment of lands by the host communities arising from non-perimeter fencing, wanton vandalization of structures as well as the activities of herdsmen within the campus had become a major stumbling block in its march to greatness. 

According to him, the institution had instituted a N20 million professorial chair as part of its measures to encourage scientific and technological research among academic staff of the institution.

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