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Tag: ESUT

  • ESUT needs more funding to grow, says VC

    ESUT needs more funding to grow, says VC

    It was in the presence of 11,458 graduands combined from the 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 academic sessions that the Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime, praised Prof Cyprian Onyeji for contributing to the development of Enugu State University of Technology (ESUT) in the last five years.

    However, the vice-chancellor said the university would achieve even more with greater financial investment.

    Governor Chime, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Rev Ralph Nwonye, at the university’s 16th Convocation, had praised Onyeji and the governing council for academic excellence, physical infrastructural development and maintenance, improved funding and staff and students’ welfare in the period under review.

    He described ESUT as an embodiment of what a higher educational institution is all about, which tallies with the government’s policy to deliver quality education to its citizens.

    Onyeji attributed his success to the ability to motivate the workers to run with his six-point agenda.

    He also praised Governor Chime and other government agencies, such as TETFund, PTDF, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), and NCC for their support over the years.

    “Your exemplary leadership set us on the way to success and we have been able to efficiently and effectively utilise the available resources to progressively nurture some of the best  graduates in Nigeria today,” he said.

    However, Onyeji said the university needs more funding to get “there.”

    “ESUT, infrastructure wise, is a work-in-progress. What we have done is to reverse the declining tide and put it on the irreversible part of growth.  In other words, the base has been thoroughly solidified. It now requires another round of massive funding to kick-start those projects not yet embarked upon, as contained in the University Master Plan,” he said.

    With the kind of funding not likely to come from government alone, the Vice-Chancellor appealed to the private sector, alumni, friends of the university, and Enugu State citizens to support  the university financially so it can achieve its goals.

    Also underscoring the need for more funding for the university, the Chancellor of ESUT, Ambassador Hassan Adamu, Wakili of Adamawa, explained that no university, the world over, survives only on government subvention.

    “It has always been a joint effort between the governments, private organisations and internally generated revenue (IGR) of the university,” he said.

    The Pro-Chancellor, Dr. Chilo Offiah, added:  “The university system requires funding as it grows in size and that it is very obvious that the government effort will never be sufficient both now and in the future. Therefore, independent sources of funding should remain critical to our survival and the survival of the Nation.”

    Among the 11,458 graduands, 10,920 had first degrees; 109, Postgraduate Diploma; 414, Masters, and 15, Ph.D.

    Four prominent Nigerians were conferred with honorary doctorates in Public Administration and Business Administration.They are: Sir David Ogbodo, Nicholas Okoye, Ambassador Ademu Aliyu, and Mrs Ukamaka Okoye, the first woman to be honoured by the varsity.

    Dignitaries at the event included: former Minister  of  Power Prof  Bath Nnaji; his Minister of Petroleum and Education counterpart, Prof Jubril Aminu; Prof Giwa and vice chancellors from over 20 universities.

  • ESUT under siege, three students shot

    ESUT under siege, three students shot

    THREE students of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Agbani, are on danger list of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu.

    They were Friday night shot and wounded by suspected armed bandits who invaded their hostel. The affected students are currently undergoing intensive surgery at the hospital where they were rushed in the early hours of Saturday.

    One of the students was shot in the stomach and it was suspected that some pellets of the bullet were lodged in his abdomen. As at the time of this report, doctors were still battling to remove the pellets.

    The two other victims were also undergoing surgery at the hospital while efforts were being made to contact their parents.

    The Unique Hostel where the incident occurred and other hostels within the Agbani permanent site of the university, according to sources, have been placed under serious security watch as it was suspected that the gunmen could be members of a secret cult.

    To forestall a reprisal attack, the source said the management had taken measures to beef up security at the hostels with plain-clothe policemen deployed to strategic locations.

    Police spokesman, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, who confirmed the armed attack, said preliminary investigations revealed that the gunmen could be “student robbers”, assuring that the police would do everything possible to get to the root of the matter.

    He could not say if any arrest had been made but he said that the command was already on top of the situation and would give further details after the ongoing investigations.

    “From what we gathered when the gunmen attacked some students at the ESUT Unique Lodge, which is mainly boys’ hostel, there was a stiff resistance by the students who succeeded in arresting one of the gunmen.  The arrested gunman alerted his armed colleagues who returned to the hostel and began shooting indiscriminately during which three of the students were shot and wounded,” the police spokesman said.

  • Innoson donates hall to ESUT

    Innoson donates hall to ESUT

    Days like that are rare at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT). For the first time in its life, the university was receiving an edifice built and donated by an individual.

    The Chief Executive of Innoson Group of Companies, Chief Innocent Chukwuma handed over the structure to the university, a multi-million naira bock built for the General Studies department of the institution. Chukwuma, who is a beneficiary of an honorary doctorate degree from the university, made the promise of building the edifice in 2011.

    Last week he handed the building to the university. At the occasion, Chukwuma said: “It is a promise I made to the university. Thank God that the promise I made in 2011has been fulfilled today.”

    Chukwuma said the gesture towards the university has not ended with the building of the General Studies building.

    “This is the beginning of the many things I will do for the university. I am happy that the students will now study under good atmosphere devoid of hassles.”

    The university’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Cyprian Onyishi could not hide his joy as he told the audience comprising of staff, lecturers and members of the public that for the first time “we are having a building through an individual.”

    Onyishi said that he was very proud to be associated with Chukwuma, adding:  “There are very few of his kind in Nigeria. He has done a lot for humanity. In terms of employment, he has touched so many homes. Chief Chukwuma has made significant contributions to industry in Nigeria.”

    While thanking him for the gesture, Onyishi said the building would go a long way in immortalising Chukwuma whom he said “had extended such gestures to other institutions of higher learning.”

    The national chairman of All Progressives Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh who chaired the occasion and cut the tape, described Chukwuma as one shining star in a million.

    He praised the businessman for his kindness, urging him not to relent in giving back to the society the blessings given to him by God. Umeh expressed optimism that the GS building would go a long way in improving the quality of education in the university.

    “One thing is certain, all the students who will pass through this university must study under this roof because the General Studies is compulsory in all universities,” Umeh posited.

    He enjoined both the lecturers at the general studies department of the university and the students to take advantage of the building and provisions there to enhance their knowledge.

  • ESUT Pro- chancellor condemns strikes

    The Pro-chancellor and Chairman, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Governing Council, Chief Chilo Offiah, has decried strikes in the universities.

    Offiah, addressing the new executives of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), ESUT branch, said strikes had affected the academic calendar.

    The trend, according to him, had also impacted negatively on the quality of teaching and learning.

    Offiah said while aggrieved workers had a right to strike, prolonging such actions would be to the detriment of the system.

    The pro-chancellor noted that any strike, which lasted beyond two weeks, could be counter-productive.

    The ESUT Vice Chancellor, Prof. Cyprian Onyeji, hailed the ASUU-ESUT new leadership and hoped that management would work with it to develop the university.

    The new chairman, Dr. Chris Nnadi, said although the last ASUU strike affected the universities, it was the only option lecturers could use to make leaders respond to their demands.

  • ASUU queries four ESUT lecturers

    ASUU queries four ESUT lecturers

    Four professors of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) have been queried by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for sabotaging its nationwide strike.

    Chairman of ASUU-ESUT, Prof. Agu Gab Agu, spoke with reporters in Enugu yesterday.

    Agu said ASUU-ESUT had a successful congress yesterday, and they resolved that they stood with the ASUU National Executive on the strike.

    He said they abide by whatever NEC says and awaits its directive.

    On the purported resumption of academic activities at ESUT yesterday, Agu said they were informed that some lecturers met with the management and sold the idea that they were representing ASUU.

    “We are meeting with the management and have refuted that because we do not know them. We did not give them the mandate.

    “Four professors are involved and we have queried them and when they reply, we’ll know the next action to take. We are forwarding the query to ASUU national. Nobody sent them. They don’t have the mandate of ASUU,” Agu said.

    He said the action of the erring professors was painful, knowing the stature of the man who died.

    “Prof Festus Iyayi was a devoted activist. You need to be close to him to appreciate him. I was with him when we had residency at Oxford Roundtable last year. He was a devoted family man.

    “He came with his wife to Oxford. There were three Nigerians; Prof Iyayi, Prof Akin Oyebade of the University of Lagos and I. We were hosted by the Nigerian community, led by Prof. Shoduke of Leys Pharmacy.”

  • ESUT dons committed to ASUU strike

    ESUT dons committed to ASUU strike

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) chapter has insisted on not compromising the ongoing strike by its members.

    It said the only way its members would backpedal is for the Federal Government to implement the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement and the 2012 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

    During an interview with reporters in Enugu, Acting Chairman of ASUU- ESUT, Festus Omeje, blamed the government for reneging on its promise.

    The lecturers called on men of goodwill, to prevail on the Federal Government to respect the two agreements signed.

    He said: “ASUU and Nigerians are worried by the institutionalised falsehood, and lack of integrity exhibited by the Federal Government and hence condemns this perfidy in its entirety.”

    “One of the hallmarks of good governance is integrity; and this is an all important virtue of those who claim to superintend such an important sector as education.

    “The excuse that the government cannot afford to adequately fund university education is dishonest in the face of a situation in which government officials and politicians continue to engage in unconscionable pillaging of state funds.”

    Omeje said the face-off was beyond salaries and allowances for lecturers, pointing out that since the 2009 agreement, the government has set up fact-finding missions to ascertain the state of universities.

    “Panels of inquiries for need assessment for universities have been set up and reports have been submitted, yet the authorities in the education sector seem to have shunned implementation of the recommendations.

    “The needs assessment committee went round the country and what it found was shocking. First, it found that the students-teacher ratio was 1-400 on the average instead of one-40. It found that the classrooms were inadequate and could accommodate only about 30 per cent of the number of students and that education standard was on the decline.”

  • ESUT launches N10b infrastructure fund

    In its bid to reposition as one of the best on the African continent, the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) is to launch a N10 billion Infrastructural Development Trust Fund under the distinguished chairmanship of Senator Ike Ekwerenmadu, the Deputy Senate President.

    The launch, which would have the Governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime, as chief host and Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State as guest speaker is scheduled for May 10 at the Auditorium Agbani.

    Chairman of the seven-man ESUT Trust Fund Committee, Prof Ike Ndolo, said the fund would help the institution provide facilities for the institution.

    “The idea of the Trust Fund is primarily to reposition and re-engineer ESUT to be one of the best in Africa. These funds will help in many critical sectors of the university needing services and infrastructural development and intervention,” he said.

    The infrastructural development intervention areas include critical teaching and research facilities, post graduate studies building, completion of two new faculty buildings/main university library and the fencing of the entire university landscape.

    Others are provision of recreational facilities, the senate building endowment of chairs in departments, completion of professors/staff quarters and student hostels and a school of communication building. ESUT was established in 1991 with a philosophy of a unique university that must be closely related to society, its industry and above all, serve as a catalyst in the technological advancement of the people.

    Since its establishment, ESUT has grown into an ivory tower with nine faculties which include Agriculture, Applied Natural Sciences, Engineering, Education, Environmental Sciences, Law, Management Sciences, Medicine and Social Sciences.

    In addition, it also has School of Postgraduate studies, Matured Students’ programme, General Studies division and a business school.

     

  • ESUT VC lists achievements

    •Shops for N10b infrastructural fund

    The Vice-Chancellor of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Prof. Cyprian Onyeji, yesterday listed his achievements.

    Onyeji, who spoke at the unveiling of the ESUT Trust Fund, identified corruption among the workers and students as the major problem he addressed.

    He said the university is shopping for N10 billion for infrastructural development.

    The VC also identified cultism, admission racketeering, examination malpractices and strikes as some of the ills that have been tackled.

    He said during his tenure, research and scholarship have increased, adding that the university now sponsors national and international conferences.

    Onyeji said: “The morale in the institution is high because we pay salaries promptly.

    “When I was appointed the vice-chancellor, we established an administrative machinery of committee systems capacitated to sanitise all sectors of our university system. This process has not been without problems. We have, however, managed these problems and achieved success.”

    The ESUT VC said the measures were not enough if the university was to be repositioned and re-engineered to become one of the best in Africa.

    “That was why the ESUT governing council established the trust fund and constituted a committee to drive it by appealing and attracting funds from individuals, alumni, governments, politicians, corporate organisations and donor agencies,” he said.

    The Pro-Chancellor, Dr. Chilo Offiah, said ESUT has witnessed a strategic renaissance of its administrative and academic systems and processes in the last two years.

    While lamenting that the task was still enormous, he said it was regrettable that the government could not fully respond to the university’s infrastructural needs.

    Offiah said: “The governing council established the ESUT Trust Fund to be managed by a board of trustees and serviced by a committee that will look into the alternative sources of funding and seek partnerships with individuals, public and private sectors, donor agencies and alumni.”

    The Chairman of the ESUT Trust Fund, Prof. Ike Ndolo, said ESUT would continue in its quest of becoming exceptional, both in the learning experience and quality of graduates.

    The unveiling ceremony was chaired by Senator Ayogu Eze, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Works.

     

  • ESUT sacks eight lecturers

    500 students expelled, Okada  banned on campus     

     

    Eight staff of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) found to be involved in admission racket have been sacked by the management. Six of the indicted staff including a senior lecturer, were found to have been responsible for the illegal admission of over 500 students who were expelled by ESUT authorities recently. The sacked members of staff worked in various departments of the university.

    A statement by the Director of Public Relations, Mr Osita Ugwuoti, said one of the affected workers was discovered to be engaged in double employment in ESUT and Institute of Management (IMT) earning salaries from both institutions.

    He said another was sacked for mutilating students’ results, sale of degree results as well as other malpractices. The affected students have been expelled as well.

    The ESUT Governing Council approved the sack of the affected workers at its 126th regular meeting at the Agbani permanent campus held recently.

    In another development, the ESUT management has resolved to ban commercial motorcycles known as Okada from operating on the campus. The management adopted a resolution, which took effect from September 27.

    Efforts by CAMPUSLIFE to reach the Students’ Union officials for their reaction were futile as at the time of this report. The Association of the Okada riders, however, frowned at the decision of the management.

  • Police arrest suspected kidnapper of ESUT VC

    Police arrest suspected kidnapper of ESUT VC

    The Abia State Police Command said that it has arrested one of the suspected kidnappers of the Vice Chancellor of the Enugu State University of Technology, Prof. Cyprian Onyeji.

    The command Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ezekiel Onyike, confirmed the arrest in a chat with the News Agency of Nigeria in Aba on Wednesday.

    Onyike said the suspect had been transferred to the Enugu State Police Command because that was where the crime was committed.

    He told NAN that the suspect, from Ugwunagbo Local Government Area of Abia, had been declared wanted by the Enugu State Police Command over his involvement in kidnapping of prominent personalities, including the ESUT’s vice chancellor.

    A senior police officer from the Aba Area Police Command, told NAN that the suspect was arrested on a tip-off by a combined team of the Police Mobile Force and anti-robbery operatives.

    He said the suspect was arrested while trying to withdraw money in a bank at Port Harcourt Road, Aba.