Minister calls for transformation of UNN

The Minister of Trade, Investment and Industry, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, has called for the transformation of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
The minister made the call at the Maiden Summit of UNN Alumni and Friends of the institution tagged: “Bridging the Gap.”
The event was held in Abuja on Saturday.
Enelamah explained that such transformation would enable the university to gain more competitiveness and international recognition.
He said the institution could be re-invented to meet its mandate of “restoring the dignity of man” as clearly spelt out by its motto.
He said: “UNN has helped to build and prepare people for their future life and for leadership position in the county, it is now time to give back and rebuild the institution.
“This is the time to get to work in the face of many daunting challenges of the institution.
“We need to find out relevant partners, collaborate with them and incorporate modern technologies to reposition the school.
“UNN must come out to shape the public through the mass media; I will support the institution to launch a sustainable endowment from the alumni, government, philanthropists and the private sector.”
The Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba, said the university is ranked the best in Nigeria, sixth in Africa and one among the first 2000 universities in the world.
Ozumba said the institution had lived up to the dreams of its founding fathers “but it is faced with funding challenges to carry out researches and give scholarship to outstanding students.
“The government is trying its best to sustain the university but there is need to join hands with the government to support the school as the journey of success for the institution had just began.”
Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, commended the plan to launch endowment for the university.
Shehu, an alumnus of the institution, said modern technology will make a lot of difference in transforming the learning environment.
He said internet facilities would make learning cheaper for students and teachers as they don’t have to pay to access books and other materials.
He said: “UNN has a large alumni base; it has restored my dignity as a person and it has made people all over the world who have succeeded in academics, business and in life generally.
“The alumni can put down all the money it needs to make it not just the best university in Nigeria but in the entire Africa.”