Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has expressed concern about the ranking of the state university as 37th in the country, saying it ought to be among the top three.
Otti spoke at the closing ceremony of a 2-day retreat organised for the new governing council and management of the university in Umuahia.
The retreat was organised under the theme “Building the New Abia State University of Our Dreams, Through Excellence and Service: The Governing Council Approach.”
“So, we have a big challenge on our hands. We need to move from that number 37 to anywhere between numbers one to three on that ranking for universities,” he said.
According to the visitor, there is a need to understand the building blocks that are required.
“I would like participants in this retreat to come up with a clear vision and strategy to get to anywhere between numbers one to three. We should not be anything less than third.”
Speaking, the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Uche Emeh, said the situation at the university partly prompted Otti to declare a state of emergency on education upon his assumption of office in 2023.
In a remark, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council, Agwu Ukakwu Agwu, said the retreat afforded the participants an opportunity to chart a course for the university to become a 21st-century, globally compliant institution.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Ndukwe Okudo, lauded the governor’s commitment to transforming the education sector of the state through proper budgetary allocation and policies.
The event, which attracted stakeholders in education in the state, featured a special lecture by Hezekiah Madumere, a former Surveyor-General and retired Permanent Secretary in the state.
