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Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, yesterday, inaugurated multiple legacy infrastructural projects in the state-owned Institute of Management and Technology (IMT).
Some of the landmark projects were a block of 15 ultra-modern classrooms on two suspended floors with seating capacity of 1,224 students; block of ultra-modern offices for registry division (exams and records) with accommodation for a minimum of 75 staff; block of fully furnished ultra-modern academic staff office complex, comprising 60 offices with intercom facility; and a world-class medical centre with all necessary appurtenances for provision of quality medical services to staff and students of IMT Enugu.
Ugwuanyi disclosed the intervention became imperative to provide the needed infrastructural transformation in IMT as well as save the institute from total collapse and full withdrawal of its accreditation.
The governor directed the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Greg Nnaji, to summon the contractor handling the rehabilitation of internal roads in the institute to return to site immediately to complete the project.
“Our administration has supported the institute to achieve full accreditation of all academic programmes, including the institution’s accreditation while continuing the improvement in the overall infrastructural health of the institute.”
He lauded the council and management of IMT for providing the leadership that enabled the clinical delivery of the vision, strategy, plan and projects, urging the staff and students to put the newly inaugurated infrastructure to judicious use.
Chairman of IMT Governing Council, Ifeoma Nwobodo, thanked Ugwuanyi for the wholesome support received from the state government.
Nwobodo said: “Apart from the initial buildings erected in 1973 when the institute commenced, no other administration has made this type of impact or investment in IMT,” saying: “So, I make bold to say that it is a day of fulfilment. A day of showing forth a vision turned into reality.”
The council chairman added that Ugwuanyi has brought his visionary leadership to bear on the governance of Enugu State in general and IMT in particular, disclosing that IMT which ranked 27th position in the national ranking of polytechnics when the present council was reconstituted, today, through the governor’s excellent support now ranks No. 7 in the country and the 2nd best state-owned polytechnic, after The Polytechnic, Ibadan.
She said the inauguration of the legacy projects, “otherwise called IMT Citadel Projects” was an eloquent testimony to the governor’s quality leadership “that has not just impacted and reformed IMT, but has stood the institute out particularly in infrastructure among polytechnics in Nigeria.”
Nwobodo, who stated that the council and management of IMT have kept faith with mandates given to them by Ugwuanyi, when the governing council was reconstituted, to raise the standard of teaching and learning in the institute and restore it to its original premium position among the comity of Nigerian polytechnics, disclosed that “at the point the council was inaugurated, IMT had less than six decent buildings, and most of them were funded by TetFund.
“The mandate to make IMT a degree-awarding institute also got a lot of mileage. Today, the institute is in affiliation with University of Nigeria – and we are offering degree programmes in eight courses.”
The Rector, Austin Nweze, who recounted the numerous intervention projects of the Ugwuanyi’s administration in the institute, said the governor has been releasing the monthly subventions of the school which translates to about 75 percent of the monthly wage bills.
Nweze further stated that the governor on some occasions releases special grants to the institute to meet up with its personnel costs, adding that, “in 2017 and 2021, His Excellency, with the approval of the state executive council, approved and released large sums of money with which we successfully embarked on NBTE re-accreditation visitations.”
Speaker of House of Assembly, Edward Ubosi, the Chairman House of Assembly Committee on Education, James Akadu, the member representing Igbo-Eze North II Constituency, Innocent Ugwu, Commissioner for Education, Uche Eze, Commissioner for Environment, Chijioke Edeoga, the Chaplain, St. Augustine Chaplaincy, IMT, Enugu, Ikechukwu Ani and Evarest Nnaji, were among the dignitaries at the event.
