I’ve improved on what I met – Outgoing FUO VC
…attributes success to teamwork
By Samuel Oyadongha
Prof Seth Accra-Jaja, outgoing Vice Chancellor of Federal University, Otuoke, says the institution has made giant strides under his watch.
Prof Accrah Jaja who spoke at a news conference Wednesday at Otuoke said when he came on board the student and staff population stood at 2000 apice which is not proper for a university system.
He, however, attributed the change and progress achieved by the institution in recent years to the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders in the university.
He said “the success stories and fulfilment of promises under my watch as Vice- Chancellor were made possible by efforts of students, lecturers and management of the institution.
“The development of any institution thrives where there is an active collaboration between people, capital, systems and structures for the overall transformation of the society.
“Under my stewardship, FUO like every human organisation comparable to a living organism, has had its assembly of units’ function as a whole.
“We have improved on what we met on ground. For instance, when I came on board, the student population was 2000 same with staff population. We also had problem of two functional facilities with twelve programmes.
“But I want to announce that now our student population has grown up to 8000 and above. With the same staff strength we have been able to service the student population which is a notable achievement
“If you have been to this university before now you will observe that in terms of structures we don’t even have a classroom that we can say this is a university classroom.
“But this is one area that the Federal Government has seriously addressed and today we have well over twelve lecture theatre one of which can accommodate 1,500, some 500 with the least housing 300 students.”
Accra-Jaja added that his successor will be working from a more befitting edifice adding that the transformation witnessed by the university is the beginning of better things to come.
He, however, called for continued unity of all stakeholders in the university to actualise the institution’s goals.