For Michael Okpara Varsity to survive, N3 billion is needed annually –VC

Prof. Maduebibisi Ofo, the vice-chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture in Umudike, has stated that the organisation needs more than N3 billion a year to address its development issues.In an interview with reporters on Wednesday, Ofo made this statement in connection with the university’s celebration of Founding Father’s Day and 30 years of existence.

“The far-reaching impact of the global recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, staff union strikes, paucity of funds,” he said, adding that the university was also confronted with the non-availability of initial take-off monies from the Federal Government.”The challenges we face are diverse and multifaceted in nature, but we are adamant about continuing forward,” he said.

One major area of our work has been infrastructure development. The university has made significant strides towards upgrading the facilities it inherited from the previous College of Agriculture, albeit in the absence of a take-off grant. We have high hopes that the federal government would give the university’s take-off grant top priority because it understands how important the university is to agricultural education and growth.

“Our commitment to progress has yielded significant achievements, even though the journey has been marked by challenges and slow take-off,” he continued. Among the accomplishments he highlighted were the accreditation of all university courses and the establishment of alternative revenue sources, such as the production of bottled water.

“From its modest beginnings over the past three decades, MOUAU has evolved into a paragon of academic quality, research advancements, and community participation. Our institution has developed into a centre for the generation of new knowledge, encouraging innovative study in a range of fields and turning out graduates who have a significant impact on society.