By IFEANYI OLANNYE

Concerned professionals of Nsukka origin in Delta have called on Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State to establish a campus of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) in Nsukka zone.

The socio-cultural organisation of professionals from Enugu North Senatorial District (Nsukka Zone), under the aegis of Nsukka Platform Asaba, made the call at a news conference on Saturday in Asaba, Delta.

In his address, the group Chairman, Dr Ejike Obeta, said that the call became necessary to bring the governor’s attention to need to establish the university campus in Nsukka zone.

He said that the platform made up of professionals of Nsukka origin, working and living in Asaba, Delta, believed that if the university campus was not established now, it may elude the zone.

According to him, ESUT had a multi-campus structure when it was established by Chief Jim Nwobodo, the then Governor of Old Anambra State.

“This arrangement gave rise to the establishment of the Adada Campus of the University in Nkpologu in Nsukka Zone.

“However, Gov. Chimaroke Nnamani’s administration repealed the university’s multi-campus structure law, and developed the permanent site in Agbani, thereby denying the Nsukka people of the right,” he said.

Obeta, said that the people were rather disappointed that Gov. Ugwuanyi had yet to establish a campus of the university in Nsukka following the approval by his administration to return it to the original multi-campus structure.

He said that since the approval to revert to multi campus structure was given, not much had happened to actually give the people hope that the campus would eventually become a reality.

While commending the governor for various projects and achievements, he noted with concern that Enugu North Senatorial District needed more projects located in the zone.

He, however, said that the establishment of the ESUT Nsukka campus would help address the lopsidedness in the sitting of projects in the state, especially tertiary institutions.

“This approval and the law backing the university’s return to multi-campus structure entails the relocation of ESUT’s Faculty of Medical Sciences, Social Sciences and Agriculture to the Nsukka zone by now.

“We will not fail to commend the governor for the ongoing construction of the specialist hospital at Igboano which is meant to serve as the university’s teaching hospital.

“But our demand is the establishment of a viable campus of ESUT in the zone with all the proposed department and faculties.

“We request the governor as a visitor to the university, to ensure the commencement of academic activities on the campus before his tenure ends in 2023.

“This projects when accomplished will no doubt be one of his legacies and will be appreciated by every Enugu state citizen that believes in equality and fairness,” Obeta said.

He also urged the governor to reconstruct the Nsukka-Adani road, rehabilitate the Ninth Mile-Opi portion of the Makurdi-Ninth Mile Expressway among others to end the sufferings and long hours spent by travellers in the area.

He urged the governor to explore the agricultural potentials of the people of Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area to create jobs for the teaming youths of the state.

“The Federal Government-owned Ada Rice project in Adani which boomed in the 70’s and 80’s, went into extinction due to neglect by past administrations.

“But we believe that something can be done to revive full scale mechanised agriculture in the area to create jobs for youths of the state,” he said. (NAN)

Update news