Enugu Gets New State Varsity

National Universities Commission (NUC) has approved the establishment of new university in Enugu State with the name Enugu State University of Medical and Applied Sciences, Igbo-Ano, Enugu State, making it the 219th University in Nigeria.

Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, presented letter of recognition of the new university to the State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, during a visit to the Commission, on Thursday, in Abuja.

Prof. Rasheed commended the Governor for his passion for the development of the education sector, disclosing that about four new private universities would soon spring up in Enugu State, as the Commission had already begun the process of approving their establishment.

He said: “With effect from Thursday, 21st April, 2022, the Enugu State University of Medical and Applied Sciences, Igbo-Ano, Enugu, has been recognised as the 219th university in Nigeria.

“We, hereby, pledge our support to the smooth takeoff of the University. We also encouraged the university management and Enugu State government to take advantage of the professional and technical supports which the NUC is ever ready to provide for the smooth running of universities in Nigeria.

“By this recognition letter, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have been notified of the establishment of this university.”

He suggested to the management of the university to establish a biomedical engineering and other genetic programmes to complement the effort of the only one university (name withheld) that is currently running the programme in Nigeria.

He also charged them to strictly abide by the laws guiding university operations in Nigeria, and also feel free to approach NUC for proper guidance to avoid violation of rules of engagement which might attract maximum sanctions from the Commission.

The Governor, in his response, said the concept of the University of Medical and Applied Sciences was borne of the desire of the State government to improve the medical manpower in the state and beyond.

He said: “Annually, thousands of students apply to study medicine in public institutions in Nigeria, but only few are privileged to secure admission, not because they are unqualified, academically and otherwise, but because of insufficient space. This is the gap we want to bridge.

“For instance, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, otherwise known as UNN that is close to us have 180 slots for students that desire to study medicine. This is out of hundreds of thousands of candidates that apply for the course, annually. This is discouraging.”

Governor Ugwuanyi, assured the NUC that necessary arrangements, financially and otherwise, have been made to ensure smooth takeoff of the school as soon as possible.

He, thus presented the law, academic brief, master plan and other documents of the university to NUC, and informed them that the institution would be different from others as it would churn out graduates that would initiate great transformation in the medical field in Nigeria and beyond.

He appreciated the NUC management for the speedy consideration of the documents submitted for approval and assured them of maximum cooperation and compliance with the guidelines of university operations in Nigeria.