By Ngozi Nwankwo
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has approved the establishment of Ebonyi State University of ICT, Science and Technology, Oferekpe.
Presenting a letter of recognition of the new university to Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State on Thursday, Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, said the institution is now recognised as the 66th state university in Nigeria and the 278th in the Nigerian University System.
He said a copy of the recognition letter would be forwarded to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
The NUC boss however revealed that the university will only commence academic activities after the necessary resource verification.
“We want to say on the part of the Commission, we are ready and willing to support this young university.
However, we need to indicate that giving a recognition letter is not equated with starting or commencement of academic activities. We will still have to undertake what is called resource verification.
“The Commission will visit when the university is ready, it will invite the Commission to go and look at the state of affairs, to look at the infrastructure, to look at the classrooms, look at the library, look at the staffing.
” After that, the Commission will give the go-ahead for commencement of academic activities. It is pertinent to note that this university becomes the 66th state university, ” he said.
On his part, the Ebonyi State Governor said the university was proclaimed in 2021, adding that the reason for its establishment is to increase access to higher education.
” The reason for the establishment of this university is to ramp up the access to quality and affordable tertiary education particularly for the State indigenes and grant everyone the opportunity to tertiary education in order to address the needed technological manpower requirements of the State in particular, and the Nation in general, especially now that the World is fast-changing because of the Tech-Driven Phenomenon, ” he said.
Governor Nwifuru also assured of adequate funding of the University, saying,” the need for adequate funding for sustainability of institution of this magnitude is never lost on us as a government. And I want to assure you that Ebonyi State, under my leadership will ensure that adequate budgetary provisions, in both capital and recurrent expenditures are made available on sustainable basis, in order to guarantee the academic growth, relevance and quality assurance of this nascent institution.
“On the gradual take-off of this university, I want to further inform the Executive Secretary that the State Government has already injected critical mass of funds towards the construction of some strategic buildings on the university campus at Oferekpe, Agbaja, Izzi LGA. As at today, the following structures like the Senate Building, the Staff Quarters, the Students’ Hostels, the Faculty Buildings, the University Library, etc are at various stages of completion. ”
On the critical manpower needed to drive the developmental strides of this Unversity, the governor said :” I am happy to inform the Executive Secretary that the Principal off this have since been appointed by my government. And just last Saturday, I had the honour and privilege to flag off the Ebained State scholarship program, where about 1000 students are already being trained for Masters and Doctorate degrees, in both local and foreign universities.
“It is intended that on graduation, these trained officers shall be injected into the various tertiary institutions in Ebonyi State in order to contribute in building the needed human capital development in the State.”