Akpabio delivers lecture at Ojukwu University, as Obiano commissions Law Faculty hall, feed mill

From David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi

FORMER governor of Akwa Ibom State and Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Obot Akpabio will, tomor­row, deliver the convoca­tion lecture of Chukwue­meka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), former Anambra State University, at the TETfund Auditorium, Igbariam campus.
Vice chancellor of the university, Prof Fidelis Okafor announced this yes­terday, during a pre-convo­cation press briefing at the university.
Prof Okafor also said Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra will commission the Law Auditorium built by Ben Nwazoji (SAN) Foundation to immortalise him at the bar.
Obiano, the VC said, would commission a feed­mill at the Faculty of Agri­culture, built and donated by Chief Vincent Amaechi Obianodo, CEO of Young Shall Grow Motors to the university.
He said 2,020 students would graduate with first degree, 200 Msc, 300 in PGD and 20 PhDs during the seventh convocation ceremonies.
Prof. Okafor noted that the convocation was a unique event as it coincided with Obiano’s two years in office and the personal visit of Senator Akpabio, who was awarded Doctor of Law of the university in 2013, but was unable to re­ceive it physically.
Okafor said the university will decorate him on Friday as well as present him his certificate.
The VC announced that a retired Supreme Court Justice, Justice Adolphus Karibe-Whyte, would be honoured with Doctor of Letters of the university, to ensure that, as the Law Auditorium would be com­missioned, the Bar and the Bench would not be left out at the event.
He explained that the uni­versity had experienced fast growth as its ranking in the universities in Nigeria had moved from 97th to 67th out of 140 universities in Nigeria.
He described an indica­tion that the university is moving forward. He said its target was to be the 10th in Nigeria.
The VC said American Research Institute recently rated the COOU as one of the nine recognised in Ni­geria in research and that the university was recently elected into the supreme council of West African Examinations Council with JAMB ranking it second best in admission compe­tence after University of Benin.
Prof Okafor said the uni­versity mobilised its gradu­ates of last year for the Na­tional Youth Service Corps because they had a stable calendar and were back for a second semester because of calm and conducive at­mosphere, whereas some universities were still doing their first semester.
He, however, noted that challenge of infrastructure to meet the increasing de­mand from prospective stu­dents to study in the institu­tion had been an issue but thanked the state govern­ment and TETfund for their roles in improving infra­structure in the university.