on september 24, 2014 at
BY IZU ANIAGU
NSUKKA-Nigeria's first indigenous university, University of Nigeria,
Nsukka, UNN, known for academic
excellence is said to be facing hard
times due to several years of
maladministration by past
administrators.
As a result of this development, the university is said
to be lagging behind other first
generation universities in terms of
academic and other recreational
facilities.
For example, the games village used
for the NUGA games which the
institution hosted in 2008, had been
taken over by rodents just as it had
become a free toilet zone for students
and other passers-by.
A visit by the South East Voice to the games village located at the main
campus of the institution showed that
the place has turned into a mockery.
The 2008 edition of the NUGA Games
hosted under Prof. Chinedu Nebo as
vice chancellor, now minister for
power, attracted companies, corporate
bodies and individuals which
mobilised enough funds for the project. Nebo had appointed his
successor, Prof. Bartho Okolo,
chairman of the NUGA games.
The Akanu Ibiam Stadium at the
university was to be constructed to a
full stadium with tartam track, but
abandoned half way which now
serves as lecture hall for students of
the university.
Ifeanyi Ubah's multi million Naira ICT
data centre at the university was also
abandoned during the five years Prof.
Okolo served as vice chancellor of the
university just as the student's music
performing centre had become the venue for nocturnal meetings by the
bad eggs on campus.
Walking round the games villages
portends danger mostly at night as
female students could be gang raped,
harassed and intimidated without
being rescued. The cricket pitch earlier
planned for synthetic grass has been overtaken by grass and now serve as
evening football pitch for students on
exercise.
Worst among the facilities abandoned
in the university is the swimming pool
built to Olympic standard during the
NUGA games but now a ghost land in
the university.
Costain Construction Company that
handled most of the projects allegedly
left in anger three months after the
NUGA games when the then LOC
Chairman, Prof. Okolo became the vice
chancellor and could not complete the projects he started as Mr. 2008 NUGA
of the university.
The only project that was completed
remained the squash pavilion, built by
the Dangote Group of companies. The
project stands out as the best and only
one completed at the games village.
Globacom Telecommunications which
sponsored the constrution of the
stadium allegedly had some
misunderstanding with the LOC
committee on where to channel the
funds for the stadium project as the company maintained that it would
directly mobilize the contractors to site
while the LOC insisted that such funds
should be channelled through it. As it
dragged on, the university sealed
Globacom premises at the gate of the university which housed Conoil
petroleum, Glo shop and Equatorial
Trust Bank (now acquired) allegedly
compelling the company to pay the
N150 million contract sum in full
before Globacom was allowed to operate even as the stadium had still
remained uncompleted till date.
Some time ago, South East Voicegathered that one Ozoemena, a final
year student on double
scholarship hanged himself inside the
abandoned hockey pitch in the games
village as the pitch had become a place
of immorality, among other social
vices. The abandoned tennis court had also been taken over by reptiles.
Efforts to get the authorities of the UNN
comment on the abandoned projects
were unsuccessful but the incumbent
Vice Chancellor, Prof. Benjamin
Ozumba had promised to redeem the
battered image of the UNN as well as reposition the games village as part of
his efforts to restore the dignity of man
in line with the motto of the institution.
No comments:
Post a Comment