Governor Alex Otti of Abia State did the unusual over the weekend as he apologised to the students of the Abia State University Uturu (ABSU) over the deplorable state of facilities at the institution.
He was confronted with the decay in the state-owned ivory tower during an unscheduled visit to the institution after attending church service at the Assemblies of God Church, Item Street Umuahia.
Otti, who expressed utter shock at what he saw during the on-the-spot assessment of ABSU, promised quick action, assuring the students that he would fix the institution and halt the decay.
Though ABSU did not degenerate to its current deplorable condition under his present Abia government, Otti acknowledged that government is a continuum hence his apology on behalf of government.
He said that “I couldn’t have believed” that things have gone so bad in ABSU if not that he came to see things for himself.
The governor who was received on arrival by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ndukwe Okudo, immediately proceeded with the tour and assessment of the facilities.
He inspected the ABSU Staff Primary School, the old Law Faculty Building, and the proposed site for the new 5,000 capacity students hostels for both male and female students.
Otti directed the demolition of the staff school and immediate reconstruction so that the pupils would have a befitting environment for learning.
He asked the VC to make alternative arrangement for their relocation while the reconstruction lasts.
While addressing the students who trooped out of their hostels to welcome their governor, Otti said he was saddened by the ugly condition or facilities at the university and tendered apology to the surprise of the students.
“I just came to see things for myself. And I thought I should take you and the university management by surprise. I’m happy to see you, but I’m very unhappy with the state of the facilities.
“The conditions under which you live cannot allow you to do any academic work. For those of you who do well under these conditions, we must congratulate you,” he said.
Otti assured the students of his unwavering commitment to fix the state-owned tertiary institution and make it conducive for learning and research.
He acknowledged the students’ resilience and ability to excel despite the challenging conditions, adding that the essential amenities needed to make the academic community conducive for learning, such as power, potable water, among others, would be provided.
The governor further directed the ABSU VC to come up with an organised and phased approach of making the hostels habitable while the new ones are being constructed.
He also gave the ABSU chief executive the marching order to build a functional cafeteria for the students, noting that it is unhygienic and risky to have cooking stoves, kerosene, and pots in the hostels.
“I don’t want to see stoves, kettles, kerosene, and those kinds of things in the rooms. I will give you about three months to build a functional cafeteria,” he told the VC to the delight of cheering students.
The governor informed the students of his decision to relocate both Faculties of Law and Agriculture from Umuahia back to Uturu “so that all of you will be in one place”.
“The designs for the faculties and the 5,000 students’ capacity hostel have already been completed, and work will start in the next one week,” he said, adding that the facilities would be ready in four months’ time.
Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo
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