IAUE: ICT Director, Dean applaud rapid growth as the school HOD makes case for unbundling

The hosting of the maiden annual international conference on Computing and Technological Advancements (ICCTA-2023) by the Department of Computer Science at Ignatius Ajuru University of Education has been attributed to the remarkable progress and innovation the department has recorded in the field of computing, Myschoolnews report.

The Acting Director of the Information and Communications Technology centre at the university, and chairman of the local organizing committee, Dr. Nathaniel Ojekudo, said this while welcoming conference attendants at the event.

Dr. Ojekudo, while commending the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Okechuku Onuchuku for his unwavering support to the hosting of the conference, explained that the VC’s leadership has propelled the university to new heights and fostered an environment for academic excellence and technological advancement.

The ICT Director informed the audience about the Vice-Chancellor’s ongoing discussions with Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and other major industry players for the development of a digital technology hub at the university.

In her remarks, the Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Professor Ozioma Ekpete, while applauding the department for achieving the feat, attributed the rapid expansion in infrastructures in the department and the ICT centre to Professor Onuchuku’s visionary leadership.

Meanwhile, the Acting Head of the Department of Computer Science at the university, Dr Constance Amannah, has appealed for a full-fledged Faculty of Computing and unbundling into four faculty-based departments.

The departments canvassed are Computer Science, Data Science, Software Engineering, and Information Technology, even as he hoped for three additional departments for the Faculty of Computing to make it seven as approved by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

Dr. Ammanah made the appeal in his welcome address at the opening ceremony of the maiden annual international conference of the Department of Computer Science at the university on Thursday, August 24, 2023.

He said the three-day conference would explore knowledge within conventional and cloud computing, artificial intelligence, data science, machine learning, computer vision, and augmented and virtual realities.

Dr Ammanah explained that the department offers five hands-on innovative courses in Data Analytics, Computer Centre Management and E-Marketing, Computer Hardware Installation and Maintenance, and Information and Communications Technology.

He disclosed that these and other courses are done in partnership with CISCO Academy, and hinted that the department’s Software and Hardware laboratories were ready for the goal.

The Head of the Department expressed his confidence in the capacity of the vice-chancellor and the university management to move the department forward because of his passion for quality education which is evident in the expansion of the ICT infrastructures in the university.

He lauded the Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Professor Ozioma Ekpete, for her coordination, mentorship and academic leadership, including the local organizing committee for the success of the conference.