Panel urges Abia govt to make varsity funding a priority

Panel’s Chair announces N100m Scholarship/ Endowment Fund, releases N2m
The visitation panel constituted by Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, in 2020, to look into the administration of Abia State University, Uturu, has recommended, among other things,  making the university funding a first charge by the government.

The Chairman of the panel, Juk Igwe, who was the university’s first law graduate to attain the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), while submitting the panel’s 541-page report, yesterday, made this recommendation public.

He commended the out-going governor for his courage to set up the panel and giving members the opportunity to serve the people of the state in this regard.

He noted that the panel was set up pursuant to the powers conferred on the governor by Section 30 (2) of the Abia State University Law. He told the governor that the panel’s 54-page report, comprises the main report from  2011 to 2020, the  Executive Summary and all submissions made to the panel.

Igwe used the opportunity to inform the governor of his plans to set up the Juk Igwe Scholarship/ Endowment Fund, which will cater for the school fees of three students in the university, each in the Law Faculty, Social Sciences and Biochemistry.

He presented N2m draft to the governor for the commencement of the Scholarship Fund.

He added that he would gradually raise the fund to N100m ultimately.

Receiving the report and commending the panel’s members, the governor said his administration, whose tenure will end on May 29, will be leaving behind solid road maps that will assist his successor to fast-track the state development.

According to him, setting up the visitation panel to the university was “ in line with the standard practice of running universities across the world to give opportunity for a thorough review of activities of the university and make recommendations on the way forward.”

He added that the panel’s report has added to the growing developmental literature, which are clear legacies his administration would leave behind for the new government, pointing out that since the business of governance is a continuum, his administration has ensured his successor will have a carefully designed road maps to help navigate through the challenges of development.