Magnus Eze, Enugu
Second republic governor of old Anambra State, Sen. Jim Nwobodo, has said the feat of pioneering the establishment of a state university in Nigeria about four decades ago has continued to give him a sense of fulfilment.
Nwobodo stated that graduates of the former Anambra State University of Technology (ASUTECH) which he founded have been on his trail, at home and abroad, eulogising his vision of the school and for making them successful entrepreneurs.
He expressed his joy that the testimonies were being made in his life time, noting that his innovative idea of a varsity of technology paid off.
Nwobodo spoke in Enugu at the weekend when the 1980-1990 Friends Alumni of ASUTECH presented him palliatives shared to the less privileged citizens of Enugu South local government to cushion the effects of COVID-19 lockdown.
He lauded the group for giving back to the society and particularly for using him as passage for the benevolence.
“Everywhere I go, in UK, America and in Nigeria, former students of ASUTECH keep testifying about my administration as governor, about the scholarship they received that made them become what they are. While at abroad, Chinua Achebe’s son came with a group of old ASUTECH students and they all said the same thing about what the university made of them,” Nwobodo recounted.
He also narrated how the Federal Government wanted to sabotage the establishment of the state university by making offers to the pioneer Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Kenneth Dike, but which he rejected and chose ASUTECH.