The Vice-Chancellor, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU), Prof. Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe, on Tuesday, lamented over myriads of challenges facing the institution.
Interacting with newsmen on his one year anniversary as the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof Iwe highlighted the university’s challenges to include “dire need for a significant infusion of funds for the upgrade of our physical environment, especially when considering that this university is among those universities that started without a take-off grant from the government”.
According to him, “The University also experienced a lot of slowing down due to paucity of funds which is a major brick wall to the university’s desire to change the state of her infrastructure and physical facilities”, adding “The deplorable condition of the roads leading to the university is still a monster we are yet to ward off” stating that the bad nature of the federal road has taken the lives of two students, while the university also pays heavily for fuel and diesel to run the school.
“This University experienced a significant slowing down in the past year due to adjustment of staff and students following a devastating COVID-19 pandemic from which the whole world is still recovering.
“It has been a bittersweet one year, one that accommodated the good, the bad and the ugly. While we relish the good, we must find ways to confront the bad and the ugly head-on by working hard and diligently,” he further said.
However, Prof. Iwe described his one year in office as “a year of experience and impact” on the hard and soft components” of the achievements of his administration, adding “The past 12 months have been tough but we are making headway.”
The soft components he said include digitalization of university processes, information dissemination, students and staff welfare, alumni welfare, partnerships and Memorandum of Understandings, conflict resolution, and research and innovation, while the hard components include infrastructure development, commercialization of the university through bread, biscuit factory, filing station and commercial fish ponds, and agricultural land equipment.
He further noted that under his administration, inaugural and other public lectures have been sustained, while students of the University have excelled in public debates and quiz competitions.
The VC reiterated that the efforts of his administration will be hinged on “prudent management, fairness, friendship and partnership, physical development, research and innovation, staff and student’s welfare and information and communication.”
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