PROFESSOR IKONNE: A new dawn in Absu -By Comr. Ahamefula Israel

The most enduring crisis of administration in Nigeria is the continuing trend by which recurrent expenditure customarily outpaces capital provision. This has stunted growth and undermined the general welfare of the Nigerian people. This disequilibrium, though a dire social scourge, was little noted by the Nigerian public until fairly lately. That this dilemma has become widely noted today, is due to the selfless clamor of a few social activists in our midst, who from time to time, have attacked the unjustness of perverse public finance appropriations. The heroes of this campaign are several, but Professor Uchenna Eleazer Ikonne the incumbent Vice-Chancellor of Abia state University stands tall as an outstanding example.
Prof Ikonne obviously takes pride in his self-description as a “Distinguished Apostle of Ahunaya Ekwe Governance (Seeing is believing)”.

To say that the name Professor Uche Ikonne, Conjures the aura and admiration of most people in our society, including the young and old, even beyond his professional and social circles is to restate the obvious. Yet, to many of his admirers, Professor Ikonne’s personality may appear to be enigma. Perhaps, not many people seem to understand the dimension of the man called “Prof. Ikonne” including those who may claim to know him.

The story of how Professor Uche Ikonne’s effort to change the face of Abia State University within his few days in office will be told for a long time to come. It is a story of courage and foresight, the belief that nothing is impossible if you have the will.

Professor Ikonne who took over the affairs of Abia State University as the 7th Substantive Vice-Chancellor on the 1st day December 2015.
In a blue print titled My Mandate “Our Story must Change” Professor Ikonne briefly but clearly outlined the vision, mission and strategies of his administration. Our story must change encapsulates the direction and goals of his administration as well as the specific steps to be taken for their actualization.
In our Administrative community, praise comes too easily from the lips of the civic population. Our leaders themselves are impatient of criticism and have tended to cultivate the imperial syndrome in their administration. So we need to be guarded in offering support for policy directions. However, in spite of all this, it is becoming increasingly clear, that the welfare of the people, is the string on which Prof Ikonne proposes to hang his pearls.

Indeed, it is from this perspective that Professor Ikonne, as a way of sanitizing the system lunched a task force against exploitation of Students. This is to keep in line with his mandate of war against corruption and indiscipline in the system.
His decision to upgrade the use of I.C.T in the Administration is to meet up with the 21st century academic standard as well as to save students the stress they encounter before accessing their results, course registration, compilation of result and other problems faced during clearance.

It is also worthy of note that unauthorized fees that is been enforced on students during clearance and other academic related activities has been abolished. In a way of making the rule active, he graciously gave out his personal phone contact to all students’ leaders ranging from course representative to the apex leadership of the students to enable them report directly any related case of molestation from staff and other related agencies.

The issue of punctuality and regularity is now the order of the day among staffs as penalty awaits defaulters.

In the area of infrastructural development, Professor Ikonne has left no stone unturned as he has continued with the construction and renovations of lecture blocks, renovation of laboratories, re-grassing of school field and NEPA/PHCN Power Project. This is to keep in line with his mandate of provision of conducive atmosphere for learning.

The public must see a great future for Abia State University, going by Professor Ikonne’s pioneering steps. The crises of Administration in Nigeria, consists of giving to the few, what belongs to the many. Professor Ikonne has sought to reverse this order. He has placed the welfare of the students themselves over and above the comfort of the ruling elite. He has also shown the courage to take decisions which may appear in the short term to be painful, knowing fully well that they are in the enduring interest of the students and the university at large. He has ordered the priorities right while at the same time putting a lid on the expectations of the university community. There is a lot going on in Abia State Universiy, from which the rest of State and Country at large can profit. This is my case!!!

Ahamefula Israel, a former Students’ Union President, Abia State University,Uturu writes from Enugu. e-mail:anyameleisrael@gmail.com.