The Enugu State Executive Council has voted to return the Enugu State University of Technology (ESUT) to its original multi-campus structure as established by the Chief Jim Nwobodo’s administration in 1980.
The council’s decisions followed a proposal to restructure the ESUT, so that various specialist learning centres can be established for each senatorial zone, which include science, engineering and technology at Agbani (East), education at Ihe (West), and medical sciences at Igboano (North).
The specialist centres will not only bring tertiary education closer to the grassroots, but will facilitate rapid socio-economic development of all zones in Enugu State.
The Commissioner for Information, Ogbuagu Anikwe, who made the disclosure, said three schools originally proposed for Enugu North senatorial zones, which are faculties of medical sciences, agriculture, and social sciences, would be returned to the zone, while the ESUT faculty of education would relocate to Enugu West, to be domiciled at the new University of Education, Ihe, in Awgu Local Government.
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who chaired the meeting, noted that although the site for Enugu North campus of ESUT was yet to be determined, the faculty of medical sciences would take advantage of the 400-bed specialist hospital currently under construction at Igboano to serve as teaching facility for medical students.
Council noted that relocating the school of medical sciences would rapidly decongest and take the pressure off the Enugu Park Lane Hospital, which has been struggling for expansion since its conversion to a teaching hospital.
The sum of N1.5 billion was approved in the 2019 state budget for construction of key facilities at Igboano Specialist Hospital/ESUT Teaching Hospital, including construction of access road, external works (fencing and landscaping) as well as the provision of water and electricity.
The state executive council, however, voted to increase the budget to N2 billion, following the decision on multi-campus structure for ESUT and additional facilities.
For Enugu West zone, in addition to the ultramodern administrative building, which is already under construction at the university site in Ihe, council also voted to construct an access road to the university.