Monday Eze 
News of the recent appointment of Prof. Michael Ugota Awoke, a Professor of Agricultural Economics with over two decades of post-professorial experience, as the substantive Vice-Chancellor of the Ebonyi State University Abakaliki, has been received with jubilation across the state.
Prof. Awoke on his part is an accomplished professor, who through his ingenious and functional career, has continued to make positive contributions to mankind through the Ebonyi State University from inception.
Prof Awoke joined the service of the university at inception as Lecturer 1.
He later became the founding Director of the flagship EBSU Work and Study Programme in 2000.
Through the Work and Study Pro- gramme the workforce for the young Eb- onyi State was trained while careers of countless Ebonyi civil servants were saved from stagnation and premature retirement.
The Programme offerred a majority of the present members of the Abakaliki bloc of Ebonyi elite bureaucracy the wings with which they flew from grass to grace.
Prof. Awoke, a man of many firsts and pathfinding unionist, secured the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) charter for the Ebonyi State University and became the pioneer ASUU Chairman in EBSU – serving two terms.
The new Vice-Chancellor rose through the ranks to become the deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics) of EBSU.
Even though, EBSU was the first university to be established on Ebonyi soil, the university has suffered rough fate in terms of infrastructural development, funding and equipment.
In what looks like a typical matriphagy as obtains between spiders and spiderlings, the two federal universities in Ebonyi State which were, respectively, complete and partial offshoots of EBSU have severely affected the fortunes of EBSU.
EBSU Teaching Hospital was taken over by the Alex Ekwueme Federal University for over a decade, rendering EBSU medical students mere squatters in a place that was ordinarily their own.
The construction of King David University of Medical Sciences commenced as EBSU Teaching Hospital with EBSU TETFUND allocations, but upon completion, it changed colour like the chameleon into different types of higher institutions until it finally settled as a federal university!
EBSU has suffered from poor funding for too long. Apart from the foundation structures built by the pioneer civilian admin- istration, 90% of the structures in EBSU campuses were built with allocations from TETFUND.
EBSU is an off-campus university with no students’ hostels and staff quarters. None of EBSU campuses is secured with perimeter fencing.
The elaborate hostel project started by the Martin Elechi ad- ministration at the permanent campus of the university has been abandoned for long.
To worsen matters, the university has been a victim of political manipulations and labour unrest for close to a decade.
The appointment of principal officers were highly influenced by political considerations. Staff welfare programmes like financialy beneficial promotions, pension and gratuity plans etc became history in EBSU.
Its ASUU, was balkanized and rendered impotent through maverick political influences and instigated litigations which still pend in court.
In the given scenario of disarray, despondence set in and research and scholarships, which are the core mandates of every university took a back seat, making the university relapse into stagnation.
Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, the alumnus-turned-visitor of the university has demonstrated commitment to lift his alma mater to greater heights.
The governor, who holds EBSU degrees in Building and Law, cleared arrears of salaries and increased the wages of the university staff.
Subvention to the university was also increased by Nwifuru who has now inaugurated a management team largely seen by pundits as competent for the university.
As commendable as the gestures of the EBSU visitor are, it is trite that like Oliver Twist, Ebonyi State University needs much more from Governor Nwifuru.
It is craved that Nwifuru’s resolve to complete the Ebonyi ICT University, Agbaja, will be balanced with the need to support researches and upgrade the infrastructure and staff welfare of Ebonyi State University.
The new EBSU management team, led by Prof. Michael Ugota Awoke, should al- ways be conscious of the fact that to whom much is given, much is expected.
Ebonyi people and stakeholders of the education sector expect prudent and result-oriented management of EBSU resources. Prof. Awoke, a veteran labour leader, is expected to resolve the labour crisis in EBSU and make the local chapter of ASUU functional.
This will imbue the university workforce with the team spirit necessary to make their cooperation impactful.
Perimeter fences should be built around EBSU campuses to secure them from marauders. While resuming work at the abandoned hostel project sites, new ones should be launched alongside the Vice-Chancellor and staff quarters to make the university a full-fledged modern academic community that is conducive to learning.
Staff welfare like salaries and allowances, financially effective promotions and reliable pension and gratuity schemes should be put in place to give the staff postretirement social security.
Research institutions should be established and funded in the various faculties. Opportunities for trainings, seminars and workshops should be given to the university staff.
No doubt, the tasks before the new EBSU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Awoke, and his team are enormous, but many who have encountered Prof. Awoke and the tremendous courage, competence, experience and diligence he wields are confident that if given necessary support by the amiable alumnus and Visitor of Ebonyi State University, Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, they will make a world class centre of excellence from decrepit Ebonyi State University before their midterm.
The university community has a moral duty to support the new EBSU manage- ment team led by their own Prof. Awoke. It is well with Ebonyi State.
