UNIZIK launches Environmental CCTV, As VC flags-off 18 Projects

By Lawrence Nwimo

The Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof Charles Esimone, has flagged off the installation of one thousand Closed-circuit television (CCTV) and 17 other projects in the university, www.odogwublog.com reports.

Among the projects flagged off by the Vice-Chancellor as part of event marking his 2 years of stewardship were the Commercial Block industry, Palm oil mill, commercial toilet facilities, lock -up shops and guest house.

Other projects flagged off at the main campus are Unizik commercial Golf Course, Five Students’ hostels, commercial motor park , shopping Mall, commercial motor transport business, Staff quarters as well as water dam project while UNIZIK portable water and Commercial Molecular and Virology were sited in Agulu campus.

Being one of the PPP projects, an investor for the CCTV project, Onyedikachukwu Ugochukwu, said that “the project when installed will develop the university to become one of the safest piece of educational real estate in west Africa.”

He informed that 1,000 CCTV cameras will be installed at the strategic points within the University main campus and at Nnewi and Agulu campuses of the institution.

www.odogwublog.com reports further that Ugochukwu said the camera will help to improve the safety of life in the university community and aid the existing security system in surveillance to detect breach of security within and around the University premises.

Speaking during the exercise, Prof Esimone noted that the projects are in line with his dream of making the university not only the best in the country, but also to be ranked among the first 10 in Africa and within the first 200 in the world.

Prof Esimone who noted that the projects were special, while touring the project sites alongside University Principal Officers, said that other projects such as the UNIZIK commercial motor transport business will provide safe transport means to the students. He said the University’s established Vehicle maintenance facility will boost students’ capacity building and training in the institution.

He reminded that the projects were carried out at no cost on the institution but courtesy of planned collaboration with investors on Public – Private partnership arrangement as well as Business Venture Projects. He said such partnership has not only availed infrastructural development in the university but also provide room for the University to amass wealth.

Prof Esimone, addressing the congregation during a Special thanksgiving service at the Chapel of Redemption, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, regretted that the period covering his second year in office was marred by the obnoxious COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in lockdown, followed by separate Strike actions by the SSANU, NASU and ASUU unions respectively.

He said that the factors, though paralyzed academic and infrastructural developments in the country’s university system, will not deter his resolute match towards the realization of the Project 200 of the university.

“We are tackling human capacity development through our many capacity development programmes. With the completion of my second year in office, we enter into our mid term office. In the first year of our administration, we laid the groundwork of action which we consolidated and expanded in my second year in office.

“In the third year and future years, we shall continue a relentless pursuit of the attainment of project 200. We shall continue to solicit the efforts of the staff and students of the university and the goodwill of all stakeholders in the affairs of the University,” he said.

Earlier, Archbishop Ecclesiastical Province of the Niger and Bishop of Awka Diocese, Most Reverend Alexander C. Ibezim PhD urged the the university to adopt policies that will eliminate moral and character decadence of the youths in the society.

www.odogwublog.com noted that Archbishop Ibezim who congratulated the Vice-Chancellor in a sermon said there is growing indiscipline and character decadence among students in the country, stressing that university must turnaround to remold students and instill discipline which he said are very important for the wellbeing of the society.