Vice chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Prof Maduebibisi Iwe, has said that the university is yet to receive a N10b grant recommended for its take-off.
Iwe stated this, last weekend, in his welcome address during the 11th convocation ceremony of the university. He said the grant was recommended by the 2016-2020 Visitation Panel to the university.
“The panel recommended that the federal government should as a matter of necessity grant the university a take-off grant of about N10b for that purpose,” he said.
“We want to appeal to the Hon Minister of Agriculture to assist the university in realizing the release of the fund for the develoment of the university.
“We would like to appreciate the effort of the former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Muhammad Abubakar, in pursuing our appeals for the take-off grant to the ministry of finance.”
He reminded the government that the university was established to groom students in agriculture and allied subjects including management sciences relevant to agriculture.
The vice chancellor, therefore, appealed to the government to relist the five courses in the College of Management Sciences that were delisted some five years ago.
He said the report of the last Visitation Panel stated the need for the issue of the delisted programmes should be revisited to relist them by the National Universities Commission.
He said, “We appeal that the government favourably attends to this position of the White Paper in the interest of the teaming population of young Nigerians who want to study these courses in our university.”
