Imo State Governor, Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha Wednesday, 13 November took a
decisive step towards sanitizing and reinventing the tertiary education
system in the state. Inside the Sam Mbakwe Expanded Executive Council
Chamber he inaugurated three distinct but manifestly formidable panels
to critically examine the activities and operations of the three major
tertiary institutions owned by the state. The schools are: Imo State
University, Owerri; Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo and Imo State
University Teaching Hospital, Orlu.
Not a few Imo people perceive this interventionist move by government as
an unassailable but timely measure to reform and transform the schools
for enhanced academic outputs. The initiative was inherently audacious
and historic for two reasons. One, this was the first time in the
history of the state that visitation panels would be raised concurrently
for all the institutions of higher learning. Two, the top caliber of
individuals that make up the panels, some of whom are not indigenes of
the state. For instance, Professor Chinedu Nebo who heads the Imo State
University Visitation Panel is former Minister of Power, former Vice
Chancellor of University of Nigeria Nsukka and hails from Enugu State.
In his speech during the inauguration of the panels the governor
provided insight into the reason that stimulated the higher
institutions enquiry. He submitted: “At the inception of this
administration, we were inundated with a plethora of complaints on
education sector in the state especially at the tertiary level. And as a
responsive government, we felt that we would be abdicating our
obligation to the people, if we do not look into these complaints. For
these reasons, we deemed it necessary to respond to these hues and cries
by looking into the operations of these critical institutions.”
The terms of reference given to the three panels were the same,
unmistakable and penetrating. They included: To identify the strength
and problems of the institutions thereby making appropriate
recommendations to the visitor and to ascertain the operations of
various departments and units. Others are: to look into cases of
procurement and issues bordering on gangs and cultism and to investigate
students’ complaints on various issues as well as conducting internal
audits on institutions’ finances.
Ihedioha however noted that the ultimate tendency of his government is
to rebuild the tertiary institutions in the state towards achieving
effective academic governance structure desirable to strengthen the
educational services delivery system. “Today, therefore, we are
inaugurating the visitation panels to these Imo State flagship
institutions of higher learning to salvage them from sliding down the
precipice of total collapse”, he added.
The governor’s mission towards reclaiming the tertiary institutions in
the state is largely understandable and imperative. This is largely
because of the ruinous nature of the tertiary institutions resulting
from years of neglect. This development was made worse by the jaded and
deceitful manner the free education was run in the state by the
immediate past administration headed by Owelle Rochas Okorocha.
To this end, specific scenarios would eloquently, neatly and explicitly
drive the above point home. For instance, the 2018 National Universities
Commission rankings of Nigeria Universities, Imo State University was
placed 58 out of 100. It also glided uncharacteristically downwards
when juxtaposed with other state Universities in the country. Sadly too,
in the last couple of years, the University has suffered a major
setback in courses accreditation as some of the institution’s
programmes were de-accredited by the NUC due lack of basic academic
facilities and poor funding. Faculties of Education, Law and College of
Medicine have remained the worst hit.
These realities contrast sharply with the University’s delightful
scholarship and academic excellence 10 to 15 years ago shortly before
the past administration made its debut. The University was ranked 1st
among all State Universities in Nigeria and the 10th overall among both
State and Federal Universities. According to the University’s
performance records posted on its website, which can easily be verified,
the institution scored 100 percent in 2006 and 2007 accreditation
visit, with all programmes visited getting NUC’s authorization. All
the 19 programmes visited in 2007 were fully endorsed. Also, during the
NUC accreditation visit of MBA programmes in 2006, Imo State University
was among the few Universities that got the Universities regulatory
body’s nod.
This flowery situation has regrettably changed for worse in the past few
years of sham free education. Correspondingly, Imo State Polytechnic
and the State University Teaching Hospital have been following similar
reclining trends arising from lack of basic educational tools and
equipment resulting in accreditation challenges. This explained why it
took the Medical College of the University almost ten years to recently
graduate the first set of medical students
These evidenced-based anomalies hamstringing the tertiary institutions
in the state lie at the heart of the move undertaken by Ihedioha-led
government to set up visitation panels towards revitalizing the sector.
Moreover, this development is in clear fulfillment of the promises made
by Ihedioha during his campaigns and his inauguration speech May 29 this
year that he would fix the school system and enthrone qualitative and
functional education.
Ihedioha’s action finds further validation in the fact that education
is the mainstay of Imo. Consequently, it is incumbent on any responsible
government to accord the sector a priority attention. In his keynote
speech at the inauguration lecture that ushered in Ihedioha as Imo
Governor, Chief Nnia Nwodo President-General Ohaneze underscored the
frontline position of Imo in education and the imperative need of
strengthening the sector. “Imo State is the most educated state in
Igboland, so I canvass here the need for you as the new governor to
democratize education and change the emphasis to education leveraging on
technology,” Nwodo stated. He advised Ihedioha to revamp the education
system by retraining teachers and providing students hands-on skills
that are relevant in the contemporary world
DR. AUSTIN UGANWA, SENIOR SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO IMO GOVERNMENT ON
DOCUMENTATION WROTE FROM OWERRI