‘MOUAU Committed Towards Producing Competent Graduates’, – VC, Prof Iwe

…MOUAU Alumni National President Hails MOUAU VC’s 1yr in Office

Chukwuemeka Egejuru

Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU), has reiterated its commitments towards producing competent graduates equipped with entrepreneurial, problem-solving acumen, special skills and capacities.
The Vice-Chancellor, MOUAU, Prof. Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe, who stated this recently in a press conference marking his one year in office, disclosed that the university, under his leadership will continue to pursue its vision of knowledge-giving, society-conscious and-satisfying world-class university.

He added that his administration will continue to hinge on prudent management, fairness, friendship and partnership, physical development, research and innovation, staff and students welfare and information and Communication Technology, among others.
The sixth Vice-Chancellor reeled out his administration’s achievements within one year in office to include: digitalization of university processes, revitalization of the university’s information dissemination channels, rehabilitation of 45 air-conditioned vehicles for intra-campus shuttle services for staff and students and implementation of the MOUAU Agric Graduate Loan Scheme (MAGLS) for MOUAU Alumni.

Others he mentioned include: MOUAU signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NiMet and National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), conflict resolution between Michael Okpara UniAgric Microfinance Bank and the University management, sustainable investment in research and innovations among others.
He further revealed that most abandoned projects under NEEDS Assessment littering the university are near completion as the contractors handling them have been mobilized back to sites while some newly initiated projects have been completed.
This, he said, would provide more modern lecture halls, classrooms and facilities for teaching and learning in a peaceful and serene environment.

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Prof. Iwe said that the university is a TETFUND Centre of Excellence in Root Crops Research and Development and affiliated to the Agricultural Research Africa (FARA).
“The FARA runs an Agricultural Research and Innovation Fellowship (ARIFA), which projects a Holistic Empowerment for Livelihood Program (HELP), that responds to the growing need for fit-for-purpose agricultural research for development capacity in Africa. ARIFA aims to produce a new generation of workforce to re-engineer the Africa agri-food by applying the Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IARFD) approach and innovation platform concept to drive agricultural transformation and industrialization on the continent. Our University has keyed into this model with eight of her staff selected for the programme and all fully funded by TETFund”, he stated.
The Isuochi-born Professor of food science maintained that the university setting like MOUAU cannot achieve anything meaningful on its own, calling for more partnership with corporate bodies, Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), among others, in order to deepen Human Capital Development in South-East and Nigeria at large.

He commended the performance of MOUAU students at National Debate held at the University of Illorin, insisting that it is a reflection of the calibre of students trained in the university, adding that the cumulative results of our representatives placed the university as the 3rd best out of 22 institutions that participated at the competition, including the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) and University of Calabar.
He, however, identified paucity of fund as a major brick wall to the university’s desire to change the state of her infrastructure and physical facilities, explaining that the institution is among those universities that started without a take-off grant from government.

Iwe decried the deplorable condition of the roads leading to the university, adding that the university has lost two students to road crash recently.
The Vice-Chancellor also explained that the MoU the university signed with NALDA was not for RUGA settlement as being insinuated; adding that NALDA was only providing incentives for arable crops production in the university while Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is set to fund poultry development in the university.

Meanwhile, the National President, MOUAU Alumni Association, Dr. Obasi Igwe Oscar, has commended the MOUAU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Iwe for repositioning the University for excellence within his one year in office, pointing out that the massive ongoing projects like; the construction of new blocks of lecture halls and offices for school for the School of General Studies; the University Central Store; a model Post Graduate Students’ hostel and University farm road ,among others ,would enhance teaching and learning in the university.
Dr. Oscar who expressed optimism that the institution under Prof. Iwe’s leadership is on course for landmark Human Capital and physical infrastructural development in the years ahead.
“Today, the university community, MOUAU Alumni body inclusive, enjoy a cordial relationship with the University Management which has brought a transformation to the University in no small measure”, he further added.
He prayed God for more wisdom/grace to the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Iwe ,to sustain the development strides in the campus in the coming years.
Highlights of the event were presentation of an award of excellence to the Vice-Chancellor by Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), and project tour of ongoing projects.
Present at the event were; the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) Academics, Prof. Udo Herbert, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) Administration, Prof. Franca Elechi Asawalam, the University’s Registrar, Mrs. Jacinta Ogwo, Acting MOUAU Librarian, Dr. Isaac Maduabuchi Ogbonna, among others.