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• VC assures students, staff, parents of protection from bandits, killer herdsmen
From Obinna Odogwu, Awka
Fear gripped members of staff and students of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Igbariam, Anambra State when rumours spread on social media recently that killer herdsmen invaded the campus and kidnapped some students.
Coming at a time when scores of students and teachers have been abducted from different schools across the country, with some of them even killed, parents of the COOU students who read the disturbing story online also panicked.
But the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Kate Omenugha, was quick to arrest the situation. After confirming the rumours to be false, she told the varsity community that they had no reason to be afraid or worried about anything.
She extended the same message and assurances to the agitated parents of her students during a recent meeting held at the TETFund Auditorium between the university management and the parents and guardians.
The VC disclosed that she quickly made necessary contacts and spoke with relevant security officers to get right information, and then take actions required at that moment.
“Part of the reasons why we called this meeting is because of the rumours being peddled on social media about our university in recent times”, she began.
“There is the rumour of our students being kidnapped in the university. There are stories of Fulani herdsmen invading the hostels. We are here to tell you that this did not happen. No student of ours was kidnapped within our premises.”
Omenugha said that the first call she got concerning the subject matter came from Mr. Anthony Chiokwe, the President-General of the university’s host community, Igbariam.
“He told me that he got a report that some people invaded our school. I immediately called my security officers and they told me that it was not true, that everything was going on well.”
She also informed her audience that some parents had called her, asking if their children were safe.
“One of them called me and said ‘I am so worried, I have two young girls there. What am I going to do?’ And I told her to relax, that nobody invaded our school; and that nobody was kidnapped in our school”, she narrated.
The Vice-Chancellor, however, told the parents that “something” had happened somewhere behind the university walls near a private secondary school owned by a popular Catholic priest and some people thought it happened inside the university. She, however, did not give details about the “something” that happened.
Beyond the security issue, the VC told the parents to warn their children against spreading negative stories about the university on social media as such action gives the institution a bad image.
“Let them use the right and authorised channel of communication to report any issue they are unhappy about. This university encourages students to speak out.
“We defend our students when they are wronged. But will not tolerate mudslinging or online irresponsibility. There is freedom of speech, but such freedom must be backed with responsibility”, she stated.
Speaking further, she said: “I give you my word. We will be transparent. We will be firm but fair. We will protect your children as if they were our own. But they must protect this university as they would their homes.
“They must see me as their mother to be protected and not insulted or made a caricature of on social media. The issue is that such negative media stories affect our ratings and invariably affects our product. They may not get funding abroad or admissions as they would be taken as having gone to a poorly rated university.”
Omenugha told her guests that the main reason for setting up the Parents’ Forum was to create a link between the “home and gown” in order to promote a direct communication between the university management and the parents of her students.
“One reason we are launching this Parents’ Forum is to kill rumours and build trust”, she said, pointing out that her desire was to have parents get direct and accurate information about whatever that is going on in the school.
“This forum will be a direct channel. No more rumours, no more third-party stories. Through our various official forums, you will get timely updates on fees, academic calendars, facilities, and student welfare”, she assured.
“Any message that is not from the Coordinator Parents Forum or the University PRO should be disregarded. We also want to hear from you – your concerns, suggestions, and ideas. Do not use foul language. Communication will be our compass.”
The 5th substantive Vice-Chancellor of COOU also gave clarifications on the controversial Information and Communication Technology (ICT) fee which the students were asked to pay.
“Education without skills is like a cutlass without a handle. Let me say that the N15,000 students have been asked to pay is not App money, as rumour has it. It is for ICT, a decision taken after consultation with student leaders.”
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She said that the citadel of learning was on a drive to move the university from analogue to digital as many professional bodies had requested a migration to CBT tests.
“We need new computers. We need networking. We need to digitise. My heart bleeds when transcripts and results take excruciating periods to happen.
“Manual computation of results is not in vogue. Mistakes are bound to happen and students and ex students suffer it. We are training and retraining staff to serve the students better.
“These are capital intensive. We need you to encourage your wards to pay approved fees on time. Going to Facebook to shout about it is detrimental to them and will be counterproductive”, she warned.
The VC appealed to financially capable individuals to support the university with hostel accommodations, vehicles, and others, saying that she has already put up some Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements that could be explored for that purpose.
“The number of students that have mishaps on the road through bikes is increasing. Transportation is a key challenge”, she added.
President-General of Igbariam, Chiokwe, in his speech, said that the community was doing its best to support the university, especially in the area of security.
He said that the community’s vigilantes patrol the university area every day, particularly at night, to ensure that the students and members of staff are safe.
The PG added that the vigilante operatives also scout for terrorists, killer herdsmen, kidnappers and other criminal elements in all the forests and ungoverned areas in the community every day to ensure that everyone in the town is safe.
Concerning the rumoured invasion of the university and kidnap of students by killer herdsmen, the PG said that immediately he heard the rumour, he dispatched the vigilante operatives to the school and other areas for necessary action.
Coordinator of the Parents’ Forum, Dr. Chijioke Okoye, in his speech, said that the university considered the meeting important because there was a need for parents to collaborate with the management in the formation of their children.
“The parents need to get direct information on what is happening in the academic formation of their children. It’s no longer a situation whereby you stay at home and you don’t partake in what is happening,” he said.
Chairman of the Parents’ Forum, Sir Chris Chikwelu, commended the university management for setting up the forum, saying that it would serve as a platform for mobilising support for the citadel of learning.
Chikwelu, whose committee was appointed shortly before the end of the engagement, promised to ensure that the resolutions reached at the event would be implemented to the letter.
“I thank the university administration for giving that confidence and trust in me and my colleagues to handle this Parents’ Forum. What I’m assuring each and every one of them is that I will ensure that every ‘t’ is crossed, every ‘i’ is dotted, and things will be moved accordingly.
He appealed to financially capable individuals to support the university with hostel accommodation by exploring the Public Private Partnership arrangements already put in place by the management.
“They can now partner with the university on how they are going to be taking their funds gradually until they liquidate it. And if Ndi Anambra and other businesspeople do so in this place, within two years, I don’t think any student of this institution will still live outside the campus”, he stated.
The Parents’ Forum chairman encouraged the students to utilise the opportunity provided by the federal government through NELFund to fund their education.
“Let me tell you, if you see anybody who is grumbling about NELFUND in this country, probably that person is bereft of information”, he stated.
“NELFUND was actually designed to help and lift up so many families who want to get educated but without any funds. The only thing is that there are people down here in the East, you know, we are indifferent to that scheme called NELFUND.
“Every day you see a lot of universities in the West, in the North, in the Middle Belt, churning out their Nelfund projects. Why is it that our people here are not participating?
“You see somebody now, tomorrow he’ll tell you that he doesn’t have money to go to school. Why? Now in Nigeria where the government is ready to give you money for you to go to school, and you’ll repay when you start working. What else do you need?” he queried.
Chikwelu told the parents to encourage their children to apply for the fund as there’s nothing wrong with funding one’s education with loans.
“What I’m telling our people is that they need to participate and encourage their children to enrol, so that it will ease the burden of them paying for their school fees”, he said.
Meanwhile, there was a tour of the university by the parents where they were shown the projects executed so far by the VC; and later on, a tree planting exercise in the Vice-Chancellor’s orchard. The parents commended the VC for her transformational leadership in the citadel of learning.
