From Judex Okoro, Calabar
The Chairman, Presidential Visitation Panel to University of Calabar, Prof Olufemi Bamiro, has stated that the panel is not out to witch-hunt the institution, as some have speculated.
Prof Bamiro made the remark when he led other members of the panel on a courtesy visit to the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Florence Obi. He said the panel was there to identify the challenges facing the institution with the view to offering solutions.
He encouraged the university’s management to see the Presidential Visitation Panel as friends who are committed to move UNICAL to the status of a world-class university.
According to Prof Bamiro, the visitation panel is also to ensure that the government is part of providing solutions to UNICAL’s challenges.
He appealed to the school’s management to avail the panel of requested data and information to assist them in carrying out their work efficiently.
Commending the management for the urgent response to some of the challenges in the university, Prof Bamiro said: ‘What we have seen so far shows that the management of the university is responding to some of the challenges facing the university. We know that it is not easy to manage an institution because of the way things are presently in the country.’
Responding, Vice Chancellor Obi said the university community is not taking their visit lightly because of the great impact it will bring.
The Vice Chancellor, represented by Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) Prof Angela Oyo-Ita, assured the panel that the school’s management that her administration will continue to provide quality education by adhering to the recommendation from the Presidential Visitation Panel.
Promising to give them all the support needed for a successful exercise, she said staff are doing their best in collating data and information the panel had requested.