The first female Vice Chancellor of the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike Professor Ursula Ngozi-Akanwa, has said her administration will endeavour to promote President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision concerning agriculture and education policies.
Prof Ngozi-Akanwa, who stated this on Monday during her Inauguration as the 7th Vice Chancellor of the University, added that her vision is to turn the University into a hub for innovation and enterprise.
She said, “My vision is to transform MOUAU into an intellectual hub, a financially autonomous entrepreneurial and innovation- driven university that leads in agriculture research, agric- innovation, education, technology, agricbusiness, food security and national development.”
The VC equally disclosed that the driving force of her vision will centre on repositioning the university as a leading institution for cutting-edge agricultural research, technological innovation and education not just in South-East and Nigeria, but across Africa and the world.
According to her the university will focus on producing graduates who are not job seekers but job creators in various industries, promoting agripreneurship, innovations and entrepreneurship, that will position the university as a launchpad for agro-entrepreneurs who will power Nigeria’s food systems and contribute to Gross Domestic Product growth.
She said, “We focus on producing highly skilled graduates by mobilising and employing appropriate instruments that align with emerging agricultural innovation, agricultural technologies, climate-smart agriculture, biotechnology, artificial intelligence in farming, and agribusiness management.
“We will providing an administrative environment that is all-round friendly and continues to be as fair and transparent, and is committed to the maintenance of high academic standards which shall match international benchmarks within the context of the law, mission and mandate of the Universities of Agriculture in general and MOUAU in particular will be our goal”.
The new Vice Chancellor also revealed that vigorous efforts will be made under her watch to complete all ongoing projects in the university.
She pointed out that her administration will prioritize a comprehensive welfare of the University staff as it greatest access.
Founded on November 13, 1992 through a Federal Government of Nigeria Decree for Federal University of Agriculture No 48 of 1992 MOUAU effectively took on May 3 1993 with 82 students.
The university’s student population stands at 39, 0 78 students with eleven colleges and sixty-nine departments, three schools and eighteen directorates.
