11 April 2019
As Professor Anthony Louis Owan Enoh, the 4th Vice Chancellor of Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) sets to formally bow out of office in May 2019, the ordeals faced as a result of paucity of funds to meet the basic academic, social and security needs of the institution deepen with imminent danger as more ominous fortunes unveil.
Recall that Prof. Owan Enoh's tenure officially ended in February 2019, but was extended by H. E. Govr. Benedict Ayade to May 2019. Also, it is to be noted that he is CRUTECH's first indigenous professor [of Education] elevated during Prof. Ekanem Ikpi Braide's administration in 2005. Further, that he is known to his fans as "CRUTECH's transformer".
It is also on record that since Prof. Owan Enoh's appointment as CRUTECH VC in 2014, N650M has been spent at over N250M (2015 ) & N350M (2018) NUC and professional bodies Accreditation of academic programmes in the University. Of the total amount, the institution only got N30M from Ayade's government . Hence, "the Management of the University had to borrow money with huge interest to fund the exercise because Prof Owan Enoh as a high flier would never want to fail".
No doubt that critics have severally accused Prof. Owan Enoh for his "uncompromising Management style" in Office. Some critics even alleged that the VC's negation of set government rules is what led to the State government's recent tampering with the University's hard earned Autonomy, recovered through ASUU, SSANU, NAT & NASU (labour unions) collective efforts in March 2019, after the governor directed Mr Goddy Etta, the State Commissioner for Education to cease his oversight function on CRUTECH's internal business as previously authorised.
Yet, contrary to all the allegations /criticisms levelled against him as VC, Prof Owan Enoh maintains his grounds as the figurative messiah that brought CRUTECH from "grass to grace" in his tenure. Little wonder Prof Owan Enoh said, "my only regret after fighting a good fight of faith is the future of CRUTECH in the hands of my "junior brother", a figurative reference to his successor.
He made the statement at about 1. 25 pm in the VC's Conference Room on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, while addressing students leaders of Communication Technology and Environmental Sciences faculties, over the pressing issues of light, insecurity, lack of studio learning facilities etc. that led to their peaceful demonstration and locking of the University's main gate in the morning.
In the VC's words, "if I kept my promise of making sure that students for the first time in the University history enjoyed light from 10 pm to 3 am daily, then I assure you all that in the next 48 hours from now, money would be made available for the purchase and replacement of the stolen armoured cables required to make light available in the affected Academic Blocks A & B ".
He added that before the end of his extended tenure in May 2019, he would ensure that desks and drawing boards are provided in affected lecture rooms and studios, respectively. The VC, however, blamed the students for their very poor response to fees payment as evident in the records obtained from the Management Information System (MIS) Unit of the University.
The CRUTECH boss informed that he successfully paid Staff 14 months earned allowance because he always borrowed N50M from the Students fees account to add to the N215 M monthly subvention given to the University for salaries by the state government.
He concluded that the major reason that the University's 2019 Matriculation exercise is postponed by 2 weeks from the originally scheduled 16th & 17th April, is to allow more students pay fees before the closure of the institution's fees portal.
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