The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Rasheed Abubakar, has presented the operating certificate for the Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe University, Ogboko, to the Imo State government.
Professor Abubakar, during the handing over at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, recognized and approved the operational license of Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe University Ogboko, Imo State, as the 42nd state-owned university in Nigeria.
The handover puts to rest the tussle over ownership of the university between former governor Rochas Okorocha and the Imo State government.
The current governor, Hope Uzodinma had seized the university which was previously known as the Eastern Palm University, Ogboko, from Okorocha and renamed it be renamed Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwa University, Ogboko, Imo State.
While presenting the certificate, Professor Rasheed congratulated governor Uzodimma and assured him of the commission’s readiness to assist the state in her academic strides.
He commended the governor for his vision to expand access to university education in Imo State and by extension, the south-eastern region of the country.
Rasheed noted that the commission would continue to work with the state to ensure the universities take their place among other universities.
“By a copy of this letter, the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) are being notified of this development,” he said.
While receiving the Letter of Recognition, the governor commended the NUC for ensuring stability in the country’s university system.
He said that the resolve to establish a state university was informed by the level of youth restiveness in the South-East.
“Imo State is highly populated, we have a population of over five million and our youth population is very huge and it is also part of what has led to restiveness in the south-east,” he said.
The governor said: “Today is a very special day for me.
“We have come here today to receive the recognition letter from NUC for our brand new KO Mbadiwe University fully owned by Imo State government, which has also provided us the opportunity to immortalize one of our foremost philanthropists, KO Mbadiwe of blessed memory.”
