From Uche Usim, Enugu

Efforts to revamp tertiary education in Nigeria got further strengthened  Thursday, as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), unveiled an ultramodern Postgraduate block christened the Centre of Excellence, at the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus (UNEC) in Enugu State.

The Governor of CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele, while conducting journalists round the edifice said it was the apex bank’s contribution towards uplifting the standards of education in Nigeria.

The complex, he said, has 150 postgraduate accommodation, 500-seater auditorium, a tele-conference centre where students can stay in a classroom and receive lectures and seminars from universities globally.

It also has an e-library and a conventional library, in addition to well furnished classrooms.

Emefiele said the centre was mainly built to carry out postgraduate studies in finance and accountancy related fields.

He said: We have  these centres now in three places including the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and the University of Ibadan.

“Each of these projects costs nothing less than N9billion. The second phase of this project has about seven centres springing up and it’s coming under the CBN endowment programme.

“The last administration in CBN did set up a N10 billion endowment programme about nine years ago and as we speak, that endowment has grown to about N23 billion”, Emefiele explained.

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The CBN Governor said the exclusive postgraduate centre will have collaborative efforts with other Universities like Harvard, Stanford and other reputable tertiary institutions across the globe.

“So,  you can imagine the standards that will be provided here. I can assure you that when people say that the government is not investing in education, we are trying to use this as an expression that government through the CBN under its intervention programmes is trying to do something to uplift the standards of education in Nigeria.

On tuition fees, the CBN Governor assured it will not be as expensive as Harvard, Stanford and other offshore universities, even though the quality of education will be the same or higher.

Also speaking on the edifice, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Prof Benjamin Chukwuma Ozurumba hailed the CBN for the initiative, describing it as a turning point in tertiary education in Nigeria.

“So much has been said about the economy of the nation. This is a shot in the arm for the economy of the nation under the initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the CBN.

“We shall make very good use of this place. We will even optimise any resource we are given to make this a sustainable project. I am giving a firm promise on that”  he said.

The Vice Chancellor also revealed that the institution has mass-produced the laptop computers built by the school.

He added that UNN will roll out its tractors designed and built the school to boost mechanized farming and other projects.