Nineteen years after relocating to its permanent site at Agbani in Nkanu West Local Government Area, the state government has begun fencing Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) to enhance security and prevent land encroachment.

Vice-Chancellor of ESUT, Prof Aloysius-Michaels Okolie, announced this positive development and stated that the state government has allocated about N1.4 billion for the project.

He explained that once fenced, it would help preserve the university’s dignity and enable it to operate more effectively.

It was gathered that, though the government had, at inception, provided offices and accommodation for a certain category of staff to live in, the houses have remained empty due to security concerns.

Members of the school’s staff have continued to operate from Enugu urban, a development that has hindered the school’s growth and aspirations.

“We are hopeful that when the fencing is completed, it will help restore some of the things that are lacking in this school. We have facilities that should be mounted, but we cannot because you cannot guarantee their security and what have you”, Okolie stated.

Okolie added that the school fencing was part of the efforts by Governor Peter Mbah to reposition the school, stressing that he had released over N10 billion in equipping the Nursing and Midwifery laboratory.

He added that the government had equipped the entrepreneurship centre, provided toilet facilities, and added additional CBT centre/seats at the Colliery hospital.

He said the governor is constructing twin 6-storey buildings that will serve as offices, a radiology/laboratory complex, as well as hostel facilities and halls at the teaching hospital.

Speaking at the 21st convocation ceremony of the school, he lauded the federal government’s Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), stating it has been impactful for the students.

He mentioned that despite initial difficulties his school faced in processing applications, the scheme still supported many students, amounting to over N107 million.

He expressed sadness that many students have yet to join the loan scheme and appealed to them to take advantage of it to meet their educational needs.

Okolie said that a total of 7,991 graduands, including 6,625 first degree, 212 postgraduate diploma, 720 Master’s degree, and 434 doctorates, would participate in the convocation.

While 14 graduands earned first class honours, 1646 achieved second class upper, 4619 second class lower, 113 third class, and 233 passes.

He noted that the school has been chosen as a beneficiary of the prestigious European Union-funded ERASMUS capacity building project in higher education, named “Master of Science in Smart Farming and IoT in agriculture. ”

Okolie, also highlighting poor accommodation as one of the school’s challenges, stated that his administration is addressing this issue with the involvement of private investors.