Don’t cover up if we fail in our responsibility, IAUE VC, Prof. Onuchuku tells Journalists

The Acting Vice-Chancellor of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Professor Okechuku Onuchuku, has charged journalists in Rivers State not to shield the university from scrutiny if it fails in its responsibility as an agent of human capital development and a better society, Myschoolnews report.

The Vice-Chancellor said this when the executive and members of the steering committee of the Independent Newspapers Publishers’ Association of Rivers State (RIVPA) visited him in his office on Friday, August 25, 2023.

Acknowledging the watchdog role of the media in society, he however, tasked the journalists to always get to the base to verify any information before going to the press.

Citing the cancellation of the recent employment at the institution, Prof. Onuchuku said the incident was overrated. He disclosed that a committee was set up by the university authorities to verify bribery allegations levelled against the university by some applicants, as he urged those with proof of such payments to appear before the panel.

Professor Onuchuku, while noting that the role of the university is to empower the youth to become efficient and highly productive manpower for national development, guaranteed that he was determined to purge the system of the challenge of sorting.

He assured that his administration would continue to introduce new programmes in line with the NUC benchmark to create more admission chances for the youth while hinting that the institution would continue the expansion of infrastructures within the limits of available resources, even as it is hopeful of a fruitful partnership with some interventionist agencies.

The Vice-Chancellor enumerated some of the achievements recorded so far. They include the establishment of a full-fledged Faculty of Agriculture, full accreditation of academic programmes, change in academic policies to align with the National Universities Commission (NUC) baseline, regular hosting and sponsorship of conferences to enable lecturers to remain relevant in their fields, rehabilitation and expansion of facilities, among others.

Prof. Onuchuku appreciated the immediate past governor of the state, His Excellency, Barrister Nyesom Wike, for the release of funds for the rehabilitation at the Ndele campus, as well as other infrastructural development, and expressed confidence that the incumbent governor, His Excellency, Siminalayi Fubara, will do more.

Earlier, the chairman of the body, Hon. Gloria Harry, said RIVPA was at the institution to interact with the management as part of the association’s scheduled visits to tertiary institutions due to concerns about the quality of manpower produced from educational institutions for the labour market. 

The body also used the occasion to request a robust partnership that would impact the quality of media reports relating to academic institutions in the state and commended the Vice-Chancellor for the laudable achievements recorded at the place.