ESUT pivotal in our drive for economic growth, research excellence – Gov Mbah

The Enugu State Governor, Barr Peter Mbah, on Friday, said that the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, would be a pivotal Institution in his administration’s drive for economic growth and research excellence.

The Governor said that ESUT, being the first university of science and technology in Nigeria would be used to champion the state’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP growth from its present $4.4 billion to $30 billion.

The Governor who was represented by the state Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ndubueze Mbah, during a familiarization visit to ESUT Management, added that no nation can guarantee sustainable human and economic growth without the education sector.

“Education is fundamental to accomplishing the goals of the present administration in Enugu State, especially in moving our GDP from its present $4.4 billion to $30 billion. This is so because the education sector is the only sector which can guarantee a sustainable economic system of growth.

“The kind of capacity building to develop human resources, institutions and local expertise can only be guaranteed in the university system.

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“There is perhaps, no better institution that would enable us centre research in driving these agenda other than ESUT. This is an unprecedented opportunity in the state because we have a Governor who is already investing heavily in education sector. What we need is synergy across the MDAs and educational institutions in the state,” he said.

He further said that he was in ESUT to familiarize himself with the vision and the challenges of the University so as to ensure that it is transformed into a globally-competitive institution in terms of manpower development and quality research outputs.

While receiving the state government delegation, the Vice Chancellor of ESUT, Prof Aloysius-Michaels Okolie, pledged that the University would provide the needded intellectual support base geared towards realizing the policies of the state government.

Prof. Okolie also said that his Management is making conscious efforts to enforce discipline, and to recreate and reinvent scholarship and research, adding that ESUT has continued to pay staff salaries promptly despite the meagre resources at the disposal of the University.

“We have tried to block financial leakages , and have equally digitized the transcript section to minimize some sharp practices surrounding the issuance of transcripts and we are optimistic that before the end of the year, scanning of the students records from the year 2000 to present must have been completed, so that at a click, and less than 72 hours you applied for transcripts from any part of the world, you can get it from us. All the graduates of ESUT that went for NYSC, collected their certificates because we have stopped issuing Statement of Results,” he said.

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The Vice Chancellor equally said that the University is faced with theft and robbery due to the absence of perimetre fencing of the Institution and pleaded with the state government to come to its assistance by fencing ESUT.

He also said that the University is remodeling and re-roofing four faculty buildings with leaking roofs and has constituted a committee on Town and Gown to guarantee mutually-beneficial collaborations and linkages with other institutions.

While thanking the state government for its continued supports, he said that his Management is succeeding due to the autonomy it enjoys from the state government.

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