The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has commissioned the National Open University, NOUN, Community Study Centre in Awgu, Enugu State.
He described the study centre as a catalyst for socio-economic development.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Senator Ekweremadu, who expressed joy over the establishment of the Community Study Centre, noted that it would afford the people of his senatorial district, Enugu State, and neighbouring states unfettered access to tertiary education as well as provide job opportunities for them.
This is even as he also announced that he was working hard towards the establishment of a federal polytechnic in Enugu West in the next one year.
Noting that the University was the first federal tertiary institution to be established in his senatorial district, unlike the rest of the senatorial districts in the State, the Deputy President of the Senate said he had attracted a N300 Million Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFUND, take-off fund for the Community Study Centre.
“I want to promise the Vice-Chancellor and his team that this Centre you are seeing as it is today, I give you one year, it will be the best Centre in this country”, he said.
Speaking further, he stated: “The last time I had this kind of joy in my heart was the day I had the privilege of flagging off the N12 Billion Nenwe-Oduma-Uburu road which is now in progress. I am now overwhelmed that my dreams for human capital development is coming to fulfilment.
“Today, we have a federal university established at Awgu, and I would like to predict that by God’s grace, by this time next year, we are also going to have a federal polytechnic in this senatorial district.
“We will encourage NOUN in whatever ways we can, including budgetary support and other ways. We will go out and get more money for them. I would like to advise our children and parents to take advantage of this school. I have equally also accepted to teach in the NOUN free of charge”.
Loading ...Senator Ekweremadu also promised a paradigm shift towards job creation if reelected Senator in 2015.
He added: “When I set out to serve my people in politics, one thing that inspired me was the need to ensure that our people benefit from government like other people and I am happy that we are achieving that.
“We have tried to bring roads, water, electricity, and we are also constructing dams to provide support for agriculture. We are building health centres, ICT centres, libraries and town halls. This is the only senatorial district in Nigeria with youth development centres in all the local governments. For me, these are physical developments but the greatest achievements we have recorded are in education and capacity building.
“If by the grace of God we return to the Senate in 2015, we are going to focus on job creation. We are going to equip all the youth centres and get partners from abroad to run them and transfer technology and skills to our people so that they can employ themselves.
“I will also get my friends from different parts of the world to come and establish industries in my senatorial district. We will provide jobs directly to our people without involving government so that by 2019 we would have reduced unemployment in Enugu west and Enugu State by 70 percent. We believe that it is not just enough to go to school; you must translate that education into empowerment for yourself and your family.
Speaking earlier, the Vice Chancellor of NOUN Prof. Vincent Ado Tenebe said open and distance learning, which NOUN espouses, was fundamental to bringing education to the doorstep of Nigeria’s vast population and also urged the people to take advantage of the Life Long Learning Centre of NOUN to acquire vocational training.
He commended Senator Ekweremadu for his unrelenting efforts at initiating and facilitating the establishment of the Awgu community Study Centre, which he said was the eighth Community Study in the country.
“This is a golden opportunity brought to you by your own son”, Prof. Tenebe emphasised.
In his welcome address, a community leader in Awgu and Special Adviser to the Deputy President of the Senate on Constituency Matters, Mr. Okey Udeh, thanked Senator Ekweremadu for giving the people the opportunity to transform their lives for the better.
The occasion was attended by various dignitaries including traditional rulers led by Igwe Godwin Nwobi-Ugwunduu II of Ugwulesi community, Awgu, members of Enugu State House of Assembly, local government chairmen, town unions, women groups , the academia and market associations among others.
