UNIVERSITY OF UYO, P.M.B. 1017, UYO, NIGERIA

THE UNIUYO PROJECT: TIME FOR ACTION

1.         BACKGROUND

●          The University of Uyo has a unique history.  It uses a campus that started out in the 1930s as a Practising School, became a Teacher Training College in the 1940s, an Advanced Teacher Training College in 1970, and a College of Education in 1975.  It was converted to the University of Cross River State in 1983 and assumed its present status and nomenclature in 1991.

●          The University operates on two campuses:  The Town Campus (with its Annex) and the Main Campus.

●          The University runs 84 academic programmes in 12 faculties, with a student population of 18,000 and a total staff strength of 2,768 (894 academic, 823 senior administrative and technical, and 1051 junior staff).  Unfortunately, 23 of the academic programmes lost accreditation in November 2005 following the National Universities Commission’s Accreditation Exercise.

●          The management, staff, and students have worked together to create an environment that has permitted uninterrupted academic activities for several years.

●          The University’s Students-In-Free-Enterprise (SIFE) Team were national champions for three consecutive years (2001, 2002, and 2003), and the best African and third best SIFE Team in the world at the international competition in September 2003, at Mainz, Germany.

●          The University has established international linkages with reputable universities around the world, including: Delaware State University, USA, North Carolina A & T State University, Greensboro, USA, Howard University, Washington DC, Texas Southern University (TSU), USA University of New England, Maine, USA, Lancaster University, UK, Bielefeld University, Germany.

●          At the National Universities Commission (NUC) Research and Development Fair organized in November 2004, UNIUYO won

            (i)         Certificate of Outstanding Contribution for an engineering research project: DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF HYDRAULIC BENCH FOR FLUID DYNAMICS.

            (ii)        Certificate of Excellence for an agricultural research project: ORGANIC/ORGANOMINERAL  FERTILIZER.

●          UNIUYO graduates generally hold their heads high anywhere in the world as they have often proved themselves in the labour market.

●          UNIUYO has, no doubt, made significant achievements since inception, but they are modest given the available manpower and expectations.  The performance of the University in teaching, research, and community service has been hampered by crippling difficulties in the area of physical facilities.

2.         THE CURRENT REALITIES

●          Physical facilities at UNIUYO are grossly inadequate:

            -            Most of the buildings are old and overstretched, and need replacing;

            -            Classrooms and laboratories are inadequate both in number and equipment; and

            -           The roads are in very poor state.

●           Electric power supply is extremely irregular and poor.  The University is forced to rely on generators, at huge cost, for power supply most of the time.

●          Water supply is inadequate (due mainly to poor power supply).

            The poor state of the University’s infrastructure was the major factor in the loss of 23 academic programmes (and opportunities for about 2,000 students) in November 2005 mentioned earlier.  The programmes will remain suspended until needed physical facilities are put in place.

3.         THE WAY FORWARD

            The way to redeem UNIUYO is to quickly tackle the crippling infrastructural problems.  In particular, we must:

●          Put in place adequate physical facilities for effective teaching, learning, and research;

●          Provide a steady supply of electric power and water to keep facilities functioning, and

●          Strengthen academic programmes through recruitment of more high quality staff and training and retraining of existing staff.

            To this end, the Governing Council of the University under the able leadership of Barr. Anselem Agbo and the University Management led by the visionary and dynamic Vice-Chancellor, Professor Akaneren I. Essien, have designed a  number of projects that should be implemented in the next one year or two.  The projects are listed below:

LIST OF PROJECTS TO BE SPONSORED

FOOTNOTE:

The above stated cost estimates are based on the cost of developing the faculties/departments and supplying furniture/equipment.  Phased estimated cost could be obtained, based on detailed design of the structure and supply of furniture/equipment to be sponsored.

4.         APPEAL FOR SUPPORT

We wish to appeal to all public-spirited individuals, all business organizations in the country, non-governmental and other organizations, the Federal, State and Local Governments, government agencies and parastatals, all parents and alumni of UNIUYO, friends of Nigeria, and the general public, to help us to build the University of Uyo by sponsoring any one or component of the projects listed above, or by cash donations in support of the projects.  We pledge to use all donations effectively and efficiently.  In addition, we are willing to discuss terms and conditions that donors may want us to consider.

Please join us at the Fund Raising Ceremony scheduled for Friday, March 16, 2007, at the Onyema Ugochukwu Auditorium, Town Campus, University of Uyo, at 10:00a.m., and write your name in gold as you help to secure our children’s future.

 We pray that you will be able to decide to invest in this worthy cause.

Professor Edet Bassey Akpakpan; Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Chairman, Fund Raising Committee Tel: 08023455361; 08055647387, 085-202693 (LL) E-mail edakpakpan@yahoo.com