Says no take-off grant 29 years after establishment
The 29-year-old Federal Government-owned Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Abia State, is yet to be issued Certificate of Occupancy on the undisclosed size of land the state government allocated to it 27 years ago.
The university has also till date not been given its take-off grant despite the efforts being made by the governing council and management to get it released.
The issuance of the C of O was tabled before the governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, yesterday, by the sixth Vice Chancellor (VC) of the university, Prof. Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe, during a visit to the Government House in Umuahia in company of the Chairman of the MOUAU visitation panel, Prof. Suleiman Adeyemi.
The VC, who came into office on March 1, this year, told the governor that because the C of O has not been issued to the university since 1994, the allocated land has not been properly documented and pleaded with the governor to extend his goodwill to the university, stressing that it is the only specialised university of its kind in the South-East and South-South.
The Visitation Panel Chairman stressed the need for the issuance of the land document to prevent encroachment, explaining that the purpose of constituting the visitation panel by the President is to review performance of the university in governance, academic standard, management of finances, members of staff and students relationships, among others.
Ikpeazu, in his reaction, directed the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Chris Ezem, to quickly formalise the issuance of the C of O to the university and promised to assist the visitation panel execute its assignment.
He said that his government would sustain its partnership with the university to create a more robust economy and also set up agro-based cottage industries, especially in palm kernel processing, cassava processing and rice milling in the 17 local councils of the state.
According to the governor, the greatest challenge of Nigerian universities is how to bridge the gap between research findings and actual inventions to put them to every day use, saying that his government will support and patronage the university’s inventions to enhance the state yearning for economic development.
Source: Guardian
