The Vice-Chancellor, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Prof. Bartho Okolo, has called on corporate organizations to partner with the government in developing tertiary education in the country, stating that funding universities was not an exclusive preserve of the government.
Prof Okolo made the call during the commissioning of Geoscience Workstation and a 30KVA generator, donated to the Department of Geology, University of Nigeria, by Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (EEPNL).
The donations were part of the benefits of the university partnership programme facilitated by the NNPC, Shell and EEPNL, designed to boost the quality of Nigerian graduates in the field of oil exploration.
Prof Okolo said that the bane of the education sector was its sole dependence on government funding, and urged other organizations to borrow a leaf from the concern of EEPNL in raising the quality of Nigerian-trained graduates.
“Nigerian education system is not functioning very well because we depend on government for everything. Nowhere in the world is government funding education 100 percent, that is why I am happy that a company like Esso is waking up to its responsibility”, he said.
The Vice-Chancellor thanked EEPNL for the donations and said that the UNN was collaborating with other institutions across the world to make its products more competitive in the labour market.
The representative of the EEPNL’s General Manager, Mr. Goodluck Adagbasa, explained that the involvement of EEPNL, NNPC and SHELL in the university partnership programme was to improve the quality of geosciences graduates in Nigeria and give them a favourable fighting chance in the labour market.
“The donations are meant to boost the quality of Nigeria geology graduates, as well as give Nigerian students a fighting chance to be able to compete favorably with their foreign counterparts”, he said.
Mr. Adagbasa, disclosed that his organization had invested about 300 million Naira in the project, including the cost of training three lecturers from the Department of Geology, UNN to operate the Geosciences workroom and guide students in its application.
He therefore urged the Department to allow students access the Geosciences facility to boost their chances of securing employment with oil exploration companies upon graduation.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director, Ehimade Limited Consulting, Dr. Daniel Lambert-Akhionbare stressed the importance of field trips to geology students, stating that “Geology is a field Science and as such should be practical oriented”. He implored the university administration to ensure that Geology students are always in the field.
The Head, Department of Geology, Prof. Obianuju Umeji, thanked the EEPNL for assisting the Department and expressed the willingness of her staff and students to put the equipment to effective use.
Submitted by: Olanrewaju Ajala/Inya Agha E.
