By Francis Onyeukwu
Igbariam (Anambra) – The Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, has approved N100 million for infrastructure development in Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Igbariam, Anambra.
Prof. Greg Nwakoby, the Vice-Chancellor, COOU, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Igbariam on Friday.
Nwakoby said that the management of the university received N36 million for the landscaping of the administrative block of the school.
He explained that the authority equally received donations from Chief Allen Onyema, the Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace Airline and Chief Tony Enukeme, Chairman of Tonimas Petroleum Nigeria Ltd. to tackle infrastructure challenges.
Nwakoby said that aggressive development going on in the Igbariam campus was to ensure the school is repositioned for sound moral and academic training of the students.
“It is only when the students are fully accommodated in the campus that one can say that there is a university community.
“That is the time the authority can thoroughly supervise and superintend over issues of discipline and management of students.
“As it stands now, what most universities operating off campus system are doing is to ensure that when the students leave, their character can hold them out as people that attended a university.
“If the students are provided accommodation on campus, they will be properly groomed to the extent that the university will pass through them and they pass through the university,’’ he said.
Nwakoby emphasised the importance of hostel accommodation in tertiary institutions’ training and blamed high cases of anti-social conduct of students on inadequate hostels.
He noted that when Obiano appointed him the sixth vice- chancellor of COOU two years ago, more than 90 per cent of the students were staying outside the school due to lack of hostel accommodation.
“Less than three weeks I took over as the vice-chancellor, three students were killed off campus due to cult-related fights,’’ he said.
“To address the accommodation challenge, my management signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company and three other local investors.
“The MoU is for these four firms to construct four hostels which the minimum will accommodate 600 students at the Mariam Campus.
“This Private-Public initiative signed in September 2019 had the backing of the university council and we planned to use the model to ensure that all the students in COOU are accommodated in the campus where we can fully supervise their activities,’’ he said.
The vice-chancellor who listed a number of disciplinary measures for staff and students, noted that he had banned students from organising parties outside the campus.
He said that such events were used for the recruitment of students into secret cults.
Nwakoby, however, noted that anti-social conduct amongst the students were on the decline.
He said that three students suspected to be members of a secret cult were recently suspended after intelligence revealed that they were going for a heat within the area.
The vice-chancellor also said that two students; one female and a male, were currently facing disciplinary panel due to their involvement in buying and selling of cannabis sativa within the school.
Nwakoby listed other projects completed since his two years’ tenure to include; two faculty buildings for Education and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the ongoing construction of two other structures for Health Sciences and Education Faculty.
He said that the systematic development adopted by his administration was targeted at making the school a centre of excellence as well as ensured that graduates produced by the school were of high moral standing.
Nwakoby used the medium to clear the air on the recent report of one male and female student whose fight in Dec.11, 2019, resulted in the stabbing of one of the students.
The vice-chancellor mentioned that none of two was related to him.
“I do not know the two students involved in the fight; neither do I know their parents. I was surprised to hear that the one stabbed was related to me but I am saying here that the report was false.
“The two students were suspended because of bad conduct irrespective of whatever is currently happening between them.
“The school panel trying their matter will soon submit a report which will further guide us to take a final action on the matter,’’ he said.
He warned both students and staff of the school to be of good conduct, saying that anybody caught in any misconduct would be sanctioned.
(NAN)
