Governor Peter Mbah inaugurated a six-man governing council of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) on Wednesday, with Chinyeaka Ohaa as chairman.

The other council members are Ikenna Chukwu, James Ifeanyi, Gladys Okoro, Chinedu Onu, and Dr. Eric Oluedo.

Mr Mbah, who performed the inauguration at Executive Council Hall, Government House, Enugu, said the exercise was in line with section 6 (1) of ESUT Establishment Law.

According to the governor, education remains the strongest weapon in fighting poverty and enhancing development.

He noted that council members were selected based on competence and expressed the confidence that the institution and state government would get the best service from the council.

While calling on the council to ensure operational effectiveness, Mr Mbah urged the council and the management to work hand-in-hand to realise the lofty dreams for which the institution was founded.

He said, “You know that your responsibilities as the governing council of the university are much, we expect that ESUT will soon be ranked among the best in the country and beyond.

“It is my hope that you are going to cultivate a harmonious relationship with the management team of the university because your roles are complementary.

“Our expectation is that you are going to put in place an effective control in the area of management of finance and investment in the university. It is also my hope that this inauguration would in effect redouble the operational effectiveness of the university.”

Mr Mbah reminded the council that their appointments came at a very auspicious time when the government had earmarked 33 per cent of the annual budget for education.

He stressed that the high provision for education underscored his administration’s belief that “education is the strongest weapon to fight poverty.

Responding on behalf of the council, Mr Ohaa thanked the governor for the appointment and noted that more than 80 per cent of the appointees were ESUT graduates.

He assured the council would go the extra mile to meet the governor’s targets and ensure cordiality with the school management.

While noting that ESUT had been underfunded over the years, Mr Ohaa appealed to the governor to ensure adequate funding for the institution to tackle the school’s challenges. 

(NAN)