A’Ibom Govt. pledges commitment to educational development

Akwa Ibom State  Governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, has said that his administration would continue to provide the needed support to Institutions of learning to enable it turn out  quality graduates that would respond to the demands of the twenty first century society.

Governor Emmanuel who stated this during the second Convocation Ceremony for the award of First Degrees, prizes and honourary Degrees of the  Obong University in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area, noted that the growth of private universities and other tertiary institutions would hasten intellectual development of the people and that with education at the background, the understanding of individual’s rights and obligations in a democratic dispensation would be sharpened.

The governor said the state government would continue to remain alive to it responsibilities of offering timely assistance in grants and scholarships to private universities and announced that  construction of access road to the  university campus would begin soon.

While congratulating the University for the double achievement of securing operating Licence and Convocating the  second set of graduates, Governor Emmanuel advised the undergraduates to uphold sound moral training offered by the school and take advantage of the serene  University environment to engage in effective studies. He urged the Institution to maintain its record of excellence and expand the scope of studies to accommodate science and humanities.

The State Governor took particular interest in a physically Challenged graduate of Accounting, Mr Ezekiel Mfonabasi Robson,  who was on a wheelchair, for his determination to acquire formal education and announced automatic employment for him in the state Civil Service.

Earlier, the Pro – Chancellor and Chairman of the  University Governing Council , Professor Joseph Andy commended the Institution on it high level of discipline and promised to give the management the  needed support as it prepares for another round of accreditation by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
Professor Andy acknowledged that the cordial relationship of the University with the host community has guarantee the safety of students and assured that the ongoing construction of the 100 bed ultra modern hostel for male students which he said has reached advanced stage, would soon be completed.

Also, the Vice Chancellor of the University , Professor Udoudo Ekanemesang, said the University which came on board with the first set of 19 students in 2008, as a pioneer private university in Akwa Ibom State, has provided tertiary education to a sizable number of youths within and outside the country.

He announced that the university has received operating licence and that it is currently undertaking  undergraduate programmes in Management and Science courses and that the university intends to incorporate studies in Arts and Humanities, a pre degree programme in Sciences, in line with the provisions of the NUC benchmark for minimum academic standards.

He noted that the 2nd convocation has enabled the University to graduaute another set of sixty four students in Acconting, Biochemistry, Computer Science, Economics and Microbiology, and that the Institution has also conferred honorary doctorate in Public Administration on the Paramount Ruler of Ibiono Ibom, Okuku Ime Inyang and another honorary doctorate in Management on the Chancellor, knutsford University, Ghana, Elder Douglas Boateng.