From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
The Chairman, Board of Directors, Keystone Bank Limited, Lady Ada Chukwudozie, has unveiled her plans to collaborate with Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Universityty (COOU), Anambra State, through University –Industry Partnership, introduction of Innovation Hub and empowerment of students through Agriculture and Technical skills.
Speaking after been conferred with a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree (Honoris Causa) by the University over the weekend, Lady Chukwudozie who is the Chairman Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Southeast zone said she was inspired by the footprints of Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu, father of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu whom the university is named after, considering what he did in the days of regional government in Nigeria, to also leave a legacy project for the university.
Lady Chukwudozie who expressed joy over the conferment of the honorary doctorate degree award on her said the honour is a call and a charge to do more.
“I promised the school that I’m going to leave a legacy project behind. This legacy project is also a project I have been nursing in my heart, reminiscent of what Sir Louis Ojukwu did decades ago in conjunction with M.I. Okpara. He was very instrumental in making the south eastern region grow in terms of their GDP. They grew their GDP almost 10 years successively.
“Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu his son, was a great icon of Nigeria because through his conviction, courage and intellectual fire, he was able to influence a generation. He believed so much in self-reliance and independent people so today, we have assembled here to remember their legacies and I’m so honoured and delighted and I feel that it is a great privilege to connect to this icon through this university. I see this i as a call and a charge to continue in the path they have laid before us. It is not an easy feat to be singled out for this honor.”
She remarked that she was wondering what she can do for the university to impact the society, finding herself as Chairman of Manufactures Association of Nigeria until she came up with a well thought out initiative.
“It is a University-Industry Partnership for Sustainable Development that is anchored on income-generating projects that are geared towards agriculture and human capital development. We are looking forward to empowering our youths to embrace Agriculture. We want to make agriculture very attractive by embracing modern methods of Agriculture farming.”
“We have seen that the economy is very down and inflation high. To crash the inflation, there should be production and the easiest quick win would be to go to backward integration of farming but this time around, it is not to farm with the traditional hoes and machetes, we want to introduce simple agricultural tools and bring in high yield seedlings that will enable us to grow those crops in high volumes”.
The Executive Director, Dozzy Oil and Gas Limited said she is looking at partnering with the university in areas of crop production focusing on habanero pepper for export and also for local consumption and also empower the students to be self-reliant.
“We are looking at empowering the indigent students for life. We want to expose them to what I call living engine of empowerment. That means we want to go into animal husbandry, piggery to be precise. We want to start with sponsorship of 50 indigent students, by giving them pig pens and high breeding pigs. We shall also manage the farms for them that by next session, they can pay their school fees and take care of themselves and before they leave the school, they won’t worry on how to start up in life because already they have a big farm that is already producing and keep reproducing.
“We shall also do something on Innovation Hub. Like now, we want to embark on mechanized agriculture there by bringing machines from China. These machines will form part of what they will need to train with because they will be servicing the machine, coupling and decoupling them. We also want to equip the innovation hub with engineering tools that will enable them to fabricate those simple machines here in this university and by so doing, they can provide local solutions to the local challenges here”.
“On logistics, we are looking at bringing in EV mini buses which will also engender skill acquisition because we want to see them not only couple and decouple those buses but also fabricate the bus and only import the batteries. I’m looking forward to collaborations with other members of the organized private sector. So I’m bringing in a platform for collaborations” she stated.
Lady Chukwudozie thanked everyone who came to celebrate with her as she received the award, particularly the management and staff of Keystone Bank, including the MD, Hassan Iman, describing it as a testament to the good working relationship existing among them.
In his remarks, Mr. Hassan Imam, the MD/CEO of Keystone Bank Limited, thanked Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University for honoring their Board Chairman, Lady Ada Chukwudozie, and described her as deserving of the award given her commitment, dedication, and selfless service.
“For us at Keystone Bank, this is a great achievement for all of us, and we are not really surprised given her commitment, dedication, and selfless service to humanity.”
“This award is not only to you and your family; it is to all of us, and we are happy that we are part of this great occasion,” Imam said.
Lady Ada Chukwudozie was accompanied by her beloved husband, Dr. Daniel Chukwudozie, and other senior management team of Keystone Bank. Members of the Anambra Council of Traditional Rulers, Great Pillars of Anambra Brothers Club, Okija Big Brothers Assembly, as well as the National Executives of Members of National Union of Anambra State Students (NUASS) were also in attendance.
The university management, while conferring the award on Lady Chukwudozie, said she was being honored for her supportive role in the university’s learned society activities, such as Girls and Tech, Young Scientists, and Future Innovators, among others.
“She is a friend of the University, having been supportive of the learned society activities such as Girls and Tech, Young Scientists, and Future Innovators. She is quite passionate about putting Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University on the global map in agricultural exportation,”
She was decorated by the Pro-Chancellor/Chairman Governing Council, Professor Chidi A. Odinkalu, and assisted by the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kate Azuka Omenugha, FNIPR, and the Honorable Commissioner for Education, Anambra State, Professor Ngozi Chuma-Udeh.