From Maurice Okafor, Enugu.
The Enugu state governor, Dr Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and the state governor elect, Dr Peter Mbah, are among the dignitaries expected to grace the maiden matriculation ceremony of the State University of Medical and Applied Sciences(SUMAS), located at Igbo Eno, Enugu state, holding tomorrow. Saturday. April 22.
The Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof.James Chukwuma Ogbonna, gave the hints while briefing news men on the programme of activities of the institution.
Accordinp to him, the first session of academic activities in the university commenced in the month of February with 778 students.aftermath of it’s unveilling by Governor.Subsequent upon the matriculation of the pioneer students will hold tomorrow within the university premises.
Prof.Ogbonna commended Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for his foresight and vision in establishing the medical university in the state, describing the university as one of the greatest achievements of the governor.
He said the establishment of the university will increase access to quality medical university education for the teeming youths.
He stressed that SUMAS in addition will provide accessible, quality and affordable healthcare service delivery to the people of Enugu State and beyond, develop the rural areas, create job opportunities, and ensure economic empowerment.
The Vice Chancellor explained that SUMAS is a specialised university with much focus on medical and applied sciences.
Prof. Ogbonna said that Governor Ugwuanyi’s administration followed due process in the establishment and licensing of SUMAS by the National Universities Commission (NUC), stating that the pioneer principal officers of the university upon their appointment ensured that the NUC resource verification exercise was carried out “and because of what Governor Ugwuanyi has done in terms of infrastructure, all the 23 programmes we presented scaled through and then we have 23 programmmes that are running now.
“Following the resource verification, we had to apply for admission which again was granted and we started the admission process. Currently we have 778 students already admitted and they are in the campus. After the unveiling exercise, lectures started in full spirit. So the students are there taking their lectures and comfortably accommodated in the students’ hostels, and we are very happy for that.”
Stressing that Governor Ugwuanyi has committed so much resources to infrastructural development of the university, the Vice Chancellor maintained that “the laboratories and the classrooms are well equipped with a smart interactive boards, among other facilities.”
He further explained that “the beautiful thing about the smart interactive board is that when the lecturer is teaching, the lectures are being recorded and then the lectures are uploaded on the internet so that the students who miss the lectures can easily go and listen to the lectures thereafter.
“And it also serves as a kind of quality assurance because when a lecturer knows that his or her lecture is being recorded, he or she will be careful and also prepare for the lecture.”
Prof. Ogbonna equally spoke about other facilities in the university such as the students’ hostels, the solar powered light, the medical centre, the borehole and electrification projects, the helipad for landing of aircraft, the road network and solar powered streetlight, the internet facilities housed in a well-equipped data centre, among others.
The Vice Chancellor equally spoke on the planned introduction of biometric lecture attendant device in the university which will record students’ attendance at lectures and enable their parents or guardians to have access to information of their participation in lectures on a weekly basis.
He pointed out that the 120-bed medical centre originally designed as a specialist hospital provides tertiary health services such as pediatrics, gynaecology, medicine and surgery, pending the completion of the SUMAS Teaching Hospital project, stating that consultants from ESUT Teaching Hospital, Parklane, Enugu and University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu do consult and provide medical services in the hospital.
“If you go there now, you will see many patients being attended to. In fact, last Thursday, we had the first surgical operation in the hospital and it was very successful and we are very proud of what they are doing there.
“So, this is the summary. We want to make a difference. This is not just a university, it is going to be a unique university. And people who are here will attest to that. We want to give quality education in medical and applied sciences. We are here to ensure that we have a university that all of us will be proud of.”
