My vision is to turn FUTO into Africa's MIT - FUTO Vice Chancellor, Prof Chukwuemeka Eze

My vision is to turn FUTO into Africa's MIT - FUTO Vice Chancellor, Prof Chukwuemeka Eze

- I WILL LEAVE LEGACIES IN FUTO – EZE 

FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, FUTO OWERRI MAY WITNESS TREMENDOUS GROWTH AS FRANCIS CHUKWUEMEKA EZE, A PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS AND VICE CHANCELLOR OF THE INSTITUTION TAKES STOCK OF HIS ACHIEVEMENTS IN JUST SEVEN MONTH’S INSISTING HE WILL MAKE THE INSTITUTION THE NIGERIAN VERSION OF THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY.

Recently, the students of the Federal University of Technology, FUTO, Owerri Imo State went on a rather violent protest which led to the suspension of academic activities in the institution in the meantime by the school’s authorities.

Verbatim was informed that the protest was so violent and fierce that a lot of school properties including vehicles were destroyed while the protesting students also made attempts to break into a Diamond bank branch operating in the institution save for the timely arrival of men of the Nigerian police force. 

Over thirty arrest were however made while investigations have continued. Information reaching verbatim has it that the students among other issues took to the streets over an alleged hike in their tuition fees, increase on the charges for registration of courses and also other general studies, GS courses while at the same time accusing the school’s management of not providing them with standard learning equipments. For instance, they alleged that general engineering workshop practice is only done with only two lathe machines that have been there before the 90s while the general sciences that is Chemistry, Biology, and Physics still use kerosene stoves for their laboratory practices instead of the more modern potane burners which are currently being used by other Universities in the class of FUTO.

They also accused the management for not providing them with enough comfortable and decent hostels despite the huge sums of funds which the institution receives from TETFUND and the NEEDS ASSESSMENT OFFICE.

Reacting to the above, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eze during a chat with verbatim in his office said he is not daunted by the allegations as they are all unfounded and baseless. Eze said he is not perturbed because he is prepared for the office and the challenges having worked in the institution for 27 years and having passed through the crucibles.

He said “It is wonderful serving as the vice chancellor of one of the most prominent universities in the country. It has been challenging but I am not daunted because I was prepared for this job having been here for the past 27 years and gone through the crucibles. I have been a coordinator of programmes, I have been an acting head of department, I have been a head of department as a full Professor, I have been a director, I have also been a deputy vice chancellor so you can see I grew through the ranks and I must say I know FUTO inside out.

Eze said the most prominent challenges he has been facing since he assumed office last year include that of funding and division in terms of where one comes from which he said should not have a place in every academic environment adding that d division or sectionalism is the root cause of the recent students protest as the students in the best of his opinion were gingered and incited to take the action to spite and discredit the management. He insisted that he is determined to overcome all the incitements by giving selfless service, being honest, transparent, and open, and embracing participatory leadership by running the administration with all stakeholders including the unions and the students, a strategy he said he adopted from the inception of his administration. 

Eze said he is building on what he inherited emphasizing that he intends to place FUTO on the same page with the popular Massachusetts institute of Technology.

He said has so far in this regard pulled the staff of the institution together in addition to enunciating the schools mantra which he said both staff and students have keyed into. 

On infrastructure, he said he has continued to equip the buildings he inherited, and have also continued to complete the uncompleted projects. On the other hand, he said his administration has tried to make sure that both the learning and living environments are up to optimum stating that he has procured about four thousand units of classroom desks and is still procuring. 

Eze said he has ensured quality by insisting on quality assurance for both the staff and students, while at the same time emphasizing on welfare by managing to always pay full salary despite the shortfall in personal emoluments and ask for refund of the shortfall from the government later. He told verbatim that FUTO is known to have a tradition of excellence which he said he has no option than to uphold and improve upon. 

Eze told verbatim that the above is the driving force and the motivation that has propelled him to ensure that FUTO has the best learning equipments and machines which he said was proved by the National University Commission, (NUC) accreditation reports.

He said, “FUTO has the most modern, equipments, and best laboratories and we upgrade our facilities as we receive funds.”

Some of the machines and equipments which the students train with according to him include the Atomic absorption spectrophotometer, (AAS) which he said is the first of its kind in the country. Others according to him include the most modern versions of scanning electro microscope, CNC machines and a lot more and promised to procure more in his desire to ensure the best training for students by the institution. 

Eze agreed that the lathe machines are old but said they are upgrading them in conformity to his modernizations policy while awaiting funds to procure new ones adding that it will be counterproductive to throw them away in expectation of new ones. 

He told verbatim that in 2011, his predecessor, Prof. Cyril Chogozie Asiabaka as the then vice chancellor charged him as the chairman of committee of Deans to go round and ascertain the conducive nature of the hostels which he said revealed the level of rot and decadence in the hostels. He said it is based on his report which revealed the level of rot and decadences in the hostels that prompted Asiabaka through the funding of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC to commence the construction of four hostels, (Two male and two female) which he could not finish before the end of his tenure. 

He said he has since commenced work of the hostels and plans to build more hostels.

Other remarkable achievements which he listed include, reconnecting the school to the National electricity supply grid and another alternative through the Obinze axis, and procurement of power generating sets. 

He said he has almost concluded plans to establish an independent power station that will supply uninterrupted power to the entire school and its surrounding host communities using the Otamiri river within the institution to construct a dam for the purpose. He said the power station will save the cost of running the generators and also ensure steady power supply to the institution. Eze also told verbatim that he intends to establish a liquidfied natural gas station within the institution to cut cost on diesel adding that he is also considering purifying the Otamiri river to ensure availability of potable water all over the institution at all times. 

Eze said he wants to leave huge legacies in FUTO and must ensure that FUTO products are in high demand within the country and world over especially in countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Korea, China, Germany, Russia, South Africa and the rest promising that FUTO students and graduates will hence forth come out tops in students’ competitions and job interviews respectively. 

He appealed to the Federal Government to help the management of the institution to achieve perimeter fencing of the institution for security of lives and property of both staff and students of the institution stressing that the purposed students protest would have been averted as he believes that hood looms and locals invaded the institution using the protest as a smoke screen. 

Eze also appealed to the students to sustain the schools’ legacy and character and charged them to concentrate and key into his good polices instead allowing themselves to be misled by some elements who do not mean well for the institution.

Some individuals who spoke to Verbatim appear to be pleased with Eze who they said has done so well within a very short time frame insisting that any judgment passed against him now is laced with contempt envy and over ambition as he has shown he will take the school to a higher level going by his activities, programmes, plans and also body language.