Mbah Hails ESUT’s Speedy Transformation into Centre of Excellence at 20th Convocation

*Says govt to build centre for experiential learning in the university

Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has expressed satisfaction with the speedy transformation of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, which is fast restoring the institution’s glory as a centre of excellence.

Mbah spoke at the 20th Convocation Ceremony of ESUT at Agbani where he was also conferred with an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration and Corporate Governance at the weekend.

The governor announced his administration’s plan to build a Centre for Experiential Learning in ESUT to boost innovation as well as a N50m grant to Prof Cyprian Mgbachi, who stunned the world with the invention of a cooking stove cell phone battery charger, to perfect his technology, while also promising support to other innovators he identified in the university.

This was even as the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Aloysius-Michaels Okolie, announced the graduation of 8,437 students of the institution with First, Post-graduate, Master’s and Doctorate Degrees, noting that nine students made 1st Class.

He also said 97 per cent of ESUT programmes had been accredited through the huge investments of Mbah’s Administration in the education sector.

In the words of Governor Mbah, “Indeed, I saw technology deployed in the cause of service as I toured an exhibition pavilion showcasing a diverse range of products from biotechnology to pharmacology.

“Universities are meant to spur technological advancement. It is in line with this philosophy that I announced a new policy requiring all state-owned tertiary institutions in Enugu State to henceforth deliver Experiential Learning to our students. This change will reflect in planning, budget, curriculum reform, assessment and promotions, as well as research.

“We are also committing substantial funds for research purposes next year. These would be made available to state-owned tertiary institutions.

“We have committed over N1.6 billion to carry out structural expansion at ESUT to compensate for the space constraints at Park Lane.

“We have equally provided funds worth hundreds of millions to this institution for various programmes, including the letting up a multi-purpose laboratory at the College of Medicine, water reticulation at the College of Medicine, rehabilitation of Anatomy building at the College of Medicine, procurement of equipment for re-accreditation of Nursing Sciences, Pharmacy and Medical Laboratory Sciences and procurement of equipment for resource verification of Public Health, Radiography, Human Nutrition and Dietetics as well as Biomedical Engineering in addition to other major interventions to transform the institution.

“We would be setting up a Centre for Experiential Learning here. It would be an experiential hub where professors will be wholly immersed in Experiential Learning, which would be passed on to their students,” Mbah said.

He urged the graduates to continually pursue excellence, keep pace with technology, and never severe links with the university.

“It is expected that ESUT will continually serve as a conveyor belt for the manpower necessary for the transformation envisaged in our society, from health to engineering, ICT, agriculture, etc.,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, according to the Vice Chancellor, 6,940 bagged First Degree certificates, 335 Post-Graduate Diplomas, 798 Master’s Degree certificates, while 364 received Ph.D Degrees.

Governor Mbah, who is the founder of Pinnacle Oil and Gas, the foremost company in Nigeria’s downstream oil and gas subsector, bagged an Honorary Doctoral Award in Business Administration and Corporate Governance, while Mr. Bernd Bergmair, an Austrian and a global investor with proven credential of integrity also received an Honorary Doctoral Award in Business Administration. This marks the first time a foreigner is receiving ESUT’s honorary doctorate degree.

According to Prof Okolie, Osita Tracy Ezinne of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences emerged the overall best graduating student with 4.88 CGPA, while Chukwudebe Pearl Ewere of Faculty of Biological Sciences and Odoeme Ogechi Eunice of Faculty of Environmental Sciences emerged as the second and third overall best graduating students, respectively.

Prof. Okolie explained that the university’s programmes were now oversubscribed, given the accreditation of virtually all the programmes of the university by the National Universities Commission, improved study environment and huge investment in resources through the support of the Mbah Administration, in addition to timely completion of programmes.

“I am pleased to inform you that 97 per cent of all programmes in ESUT have full NUC Accreditation. The allotted quota for most of the professional courses have been quadrupled and additional faculties mounted,” he said.

The highlight of the convocation also included the additional support in the sum of N52m for Prof Mgbachi from Mr Bergmair, making it N102m total sum received by the inventor.