The Vice-Chancellor, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Abia State, Prof. Francis Ogbonnaya Otunta, has called on the government and private business to encourage the emergence of agro-processing industries through infrastructural development in rural areas.
Professor Otunta who stated this recently during a press conference, marking the 9th Convocation of the Institution, added that his administration wass passionate about academic excellence, which will strive through a quality control mechanism, due diligence processes and best practices that would erode the unapplaudable image of the university.
According to him, “The university is dedicated to the training of its students to become professionally competent and confidence graduates with exquisite dexterity.
The problem of fractional salary payment of staff which happened in 2018 had been addressed through 2018 budget preparation and staff are now taking home their hundred per cent pay monthly and all the arrears of all outstanding short falls in the staff salary have been cleared as at January 2019.”
Prof. Otunta further stated that in a way of taking care of students welfare, more modern lecture halls and classrooms are being erected within the school to make teaching and learning much more conducive for the student and in order to improve on the hygienic condition of the hostels for healthy habitation of the students, efforts are made on regular basis to supply water and electricity in spite of the soaring cost of providing them. He added that the university management has also renovated both the old and new hostels for the students.
Furthermore, Otunta, said his administration is poised towards maintaining the TET fund standards and quality in the construction of new buildings in the university and the ongoing construction of the COLPAS new building and others are where quality and taste are being show cased. He stated that Michael Okpara University of agriculture Umudike was placed 9th position in Nigeria in the ranking of one hundred and twenty one (121) Nigerian Universities, based on the level of staff participation in the six review exercise of National Universities Commissions instruments as against 57th position occupied in 2015/2016.
He also disclosed that on Saturday 30th November, 2019, 6,214 graduands will be awarded with Bachelor’s Degrees, 160 post graduate diplomas, 507 Master’s Degree and 144 Doctorate Degree.
