LIVE UPDATES
-y1POaagwL4.jpg "Photo of The outgone Vice-Chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Prof. Charles Esimone")
The outgone Vice-Chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Prof. Charles Esimone, has advocated support for financial autonomy for universities.
Esimone spoke during his valedictory thanksgiving service in Awka.
According to him, financial autonomy gives varsities the autonomy they need to function well as higher institutions.
Speaking on the Federal Government's student loan, Esimone said the scheme introduced by the government was one of the key things that would solve the problem of financial autonomy for varsities.
He advised that disbursement should be done at the state and regional levels to achieve its set goals.
While unveiling his book titled, ‘Nnamdi Azikiwe University, The Vice-Chancellorship of Prof. Charles Okechukwu Esimone, FAS, FPSN, 2019 – 2024,’ the former VC said he showed a strong leadership quality that helped him raise the bar of the university and transformed it to a greater height.
He said: “A university environment should be able to enhance academic culture through enhancing teaching and research and that is what led to our overall total high global ranking.
“But at the background, we were able to improve the human capacity development, infrastructural advancement, especially in the area where there was no funding, we were able to attract funding. I attracted over N60 billion in infrastructures and endowment.
“Financial autonomy gives universities the autonomy they need to function well as higher institutions, but it is not something that should be done drastically, otherwise, a lot of programmes would be affected.
“To start with, the student loan scheme is a laudable project and programme that the Federal Government has introduced; it is one of the key things that will solve the problem of financial autonomy. If we are primed on that platform that the President has initiated, we can move forward.
“But disbursing it should not be done nationally because Nigeria is a big nation. I think the disbursement should be brought down to the state and regional level and also identifying stakeholders within these regions who are going to drive that. The structure of disbursement should be dissolved at the state and regional level.
“The message to my successor is to build on the foundations that we have laid. We have laid those foundations for sound academic culture.”
The Chancellor of the institution, His Majesty Da Jacob Gyang Buba, the Gbong Gwon Jos, commended the outgone VC for his uprightness in piloting the affairs of the university in the last five years.
“Esimone finished strong and showed a strong leadership quality that helped raise the bar of the university and transformed it to a greater height,” the Chancellor stated.
