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From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka has said the institution’s community and public services, often tagged town and gown series, is proving their impacts in solving challenges affecting mankind in the society.
The UNIZIK VC said this while addressing journalists during the March 2022 Congress of the Anambra State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists led by Comrade Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, PhD, held at Godwin Ezeemo International Press Centre.
He said the University’s system of partnership with the public (town) had solidified relationship ties that had culminated in a series of interventions and building facilities that aided human living and contribute to problem solving in the society.
He recalled that among the many examples of such partnership was the construction of an ultra-modern surge centre within the University Medical Center for the treatment of COVID-19, Lassa fever and other infectious diseases through the intervention of the Anambra Progressives.
He also noted that the enormous positive agenda of the university had caught the interests of some investors who, he said, invested in the completion of key other projects in the institution.
He emphasised that the institution, through its hard work, had attracted a TETFund grant for the establishment of a Kidney and Urological Centre at the College of Health Sciences, Nnewi, having procured the installation of a COVID-19 testing centre in the University, through philanthropy.
Prof Esimone, at the inception of his tenure, had outlined strategies he tagged “Project 200” which was streamlined to ensure that the institution earn the rank of best University in Nigeria, among first ten in Africa and among the first two hundred in the globe.
The Vice-Chancellor said he is focused on his ambition to make the University among the 10 best in Nigeria and among the best 200 in the world which he said made him articulate a five-pronged strategy predicated on the drive for academic excellence, productive public/community service, administrative reforms, discipline and advancements, the ACADA strategy, together with its antecedent vision summed up as ‘Project 200’.
Since assumption into office, he said, UNIZIK has been achieving the core mandate of teaching, research and community/ Public service, and more.
He disclosed that through the efforts of his administration, the university is now among the 12 in the country selected and classified as Centres of Excellence for Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for specialised courses.
He said the feat has skyrocketed the university’s impact in virtually all spheres of academics.
‘Also between 2019 and now, the national and international profile of the university has risen through memoranda of understanding signed with national and international institutions. With the rising profile, the university has also introduced new courses and established new community and public services while embarking on Administrative reforms. For instance, the 572 capacity students’ hostel by an investor under Build-Operate-and Transfer partnership is a case in point.’
On infrastructure, Esimone said he completed the ones he met on assumption of office and commenced fresh ones many of which are at various stages of completion even as a lot of projects endowed by public-spirited individuals are ongoing while it has also made efforts to embark on many projects with its internally generated revenue.
