Elom stated this during the 10th matriculation ceremony of the university held last week.
His said: “The Nigerian university system is facing challenges, especially in the area of funding, which has led to incessant strike/industrial actions by university-based staff unions, notably the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). It is my belief that government alone cannot adequately fund university education in Nigeria.
“We need a cost-sharing approach to the funding of our universities, which would involve stakeholders – government, university management, parents/guardians and organised private sector to make positive impact in the system.”
“I, therefore, use this opportunity to appreciate parents/guardians of our students for their contributions through the AE-FUNAI Parents’ Forum, to the infrastructure development of the university since 2016 when the forum was inaugurated.
“As a university, we are prepared to move with changing times by adopting the use of technology.
“I envision a world-class campus, where management, staff and students work together as a team in an atmosphere that meets global best practices. I, therefore, call on everyone to join hands with me to make this dream a reality.
“The focus of the university is to instill, in our students, hard and soft skills, as well as functional knowledge to be relevant and resourceful in a 21st century knowledge-based economy. I assure you of our commitment to that mandate.”
