Baskadia

ESSAY OF THE MONTH

BEFORE UNICROSS BLEED TO DEATH.

(CONCLUSION)

BY

BARR (DR) UGOJI NWABUEZE.

ODENIGBO.

FORMER SENIOR SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE GOVERNOR ON NON INDEGENE AFFAIRS.

Progressively, all founding fathers of the university beginning from Mr Donald Duke to Senator Liyel Imoke and the phenomenon Pruf Ben Ayade have all paid their dues to the growth, development and global recognition of the university.

For instance, it was Ayade, who visited the university at the peak of its financial crisis and saw that the university has remained stagnated on an offending morally reprehensible monthly allocation of N160 millions over the years and decided to move it to the then impressive rate of N215 million monthly allocation. Ayade also donated smaller Hyundai cars to address the issue of insecurity on campus. He in addition donated N10 million to the student’s union government.

One individual that is passionately concerned about the growth of university of cross river state (UNICROSS) is His Excellency, Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu. The Governor is not only concerned about the progressive financial growth, infrastructure and human development but the quality of students produced such that they can hold their shoulders high and proudly join the competitive employment market driven by technology and quality service.

Years back and quite thoughtful as a Senator, he attracted through Central Bank of Nigeria the building of the current magnificient Administrative block that has solved the accommodation problems of all administrative staff without much publicity and ego trip. Now as governo, the height of expectation is raised against the governor’s mantra of sweetness and ME FIRST..

The expectation is that the governor will break the quantum of expectations of all staff. In one fell swoop, he has converted the College of Education in Akamkpa into University of Education and entrepreneurship with the Governing Council constituted. it has just been granted full recognition.

Similarly, he has relocated the Faculty of Agriculture in Obubra to Ogoja campus and converted the Obubra Campus into a full-fledged College of Agriculture with a Provost and Governing Council.

He has also approved the establishment of College of Medicine at Igoli in Ogoja . Certainly, the state has never had it so well.

To drive these visions home the Governor, has appointed a new Governing Council made up of heavy weights, drawn from diverse fields of human endeavor in politics, administration, education and technology. The Governor therefore is set to launch the over 20 years of the University into the space of academic excellence with a clear signal that the period of toying with the fate of the most cherished University within the south south and Sahara desert desert that it is over.

Governor Otu in reality is aware that the problems of the University is not the vision of the founding fathers but in the mission of the administrators, as poor corporate leadership has made realising the mission of realizing the vision diversionary, long and tortuous.

These perennial and cancerous problems, the new Acting Vice Chancellor Prof Francisca Bassey, the stallion amazon is ready most courageously to address and reverse.

Despite these developmental strides why are the gates of the universaity shut down for academic activities even with the appointment of a new Acting Vice Chancellor and brand new Governing Council members. Why?. But for the problems,the curtain for first semester exams will have been drawn beginning from

20th January, 2025

Staff complain that the university is perpetually under funded and poorly too. They said government has no interest in the infrastructural development of the university as every current building on campuses bears the signature of TETFUND..They said that in the last 23 years, government has not commenced and finished any building on campus.

They allege that the government is not willing of paying staff what their counterparts across other universities are paid. Worst still, the government is not ready to pay them minimum wage as approved by the Federal government and as captured in the state 2025 budget.

But state pleads for time to crticall assess the situation even as the three Unions less ASUU - UNICROSS branch are currently on strike.

The task before Governor Otu to fix the university and keep it running is enormous and challenging but what money cannot do, more money can do it. This writer is certain that the Governor, sweet peince understands the terrain and as a technocrat and solution expert he will walk out tall and save the university from entering coma.