The pro-chancellor expressed delight that the Lux Mundi University came at a time when Otti is the governor of Abia.
By Jeffrey Agbo
Abia State Governor Alex Otti has welcomed the first private university to operate in Umuahia, Abia State capital, expressing willingness to support promoters of private tertiary institutions, where necessary, to succeed.
Governor Otti spoke on Tuesday when he was presented with the certificate of provisional license to operate as a private university of Lux Mundi University, Umuahia, by the founder and pro-chancellor, Prof. Gabriel O. C. Okenwa.
The governor commended Prof. Okenwa and his team for a great feat, and expressed optimism that the university would do great things in the education sector in Abia and Nigeria in general.
Prof Okenwa, while presenting the certificate to Otti, said Lux Mundi University is the first private university to get approval by the National Universities Commission (NUC) for operation in Umuahia.
Okenwa paid homage to the governor, describing him as his mentor and leader of over two decades, having worked under him in the banking industry. He commended Governor Otti for the significant strides he had recorded just few months in office, adding that with Otti at the helm of Affairs, Abia State is in safe hands and on the path to true greatness.
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The pro-chancellor expressed delight that the Lux Mundi University came at a time when Otti is the governor of Abia, saying that Abians now have opportunity to enjoy world-class tertiary education at home.
“By the grace of God, we are here to present and show the governor the Certificate of Approval by the National Universities Commission, giving the university the provisional license to start operating as a private university in Nigeria.
“We are excited that Abians have the opportunity, especially those in and around Umuahia, and in fact, Nigerians as a whole, to have a world-class university that is affiliated with some top foreign universities, to give them the best they wish to have,” Prof. Okenwa said.
According to the chief promoter, Lux Mundi University is not going to be all about theory but will put emphasis on skills acquisition.
“It’s going to do a lot with skill acquisition. It is going to do a lot with our students being hands-on on professional and technical aspects of their studies, to the extent that by the time they finish their studies, they will now be employers of labour, not even seeking for white collar jobs, and they can also, based on our affiliations, easily go abroad and work and school and also interact because we are going to have a lot of collaboration with our foreign partners,” he said.
The pro-chancellor said the university has been approved to start off with three faculties – the Faculty of Law; the Faculty of Management Sciences; and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences – which will be rolling out about 11 programmes. He added that admission is already ongoing as the school is starting this academic year.
Prof. Okenwa was accompanied on the visit by Prof. P. U Mbakwe, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; and Acting Registrar, Blessing Ibebunjo.