The Vice-Chancellor of Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Ebonyi State, Professor Chinedum Nwajiuba, yesterday, commissioned some engineering equipment donated by the university’s Engineering Parents’ Forum.
The FUNAI Engineering Parents’ Forum is an umbrella body of all parents and guardians of students of the University geared towards fostering cordial relationship between the institution and parents of its students. The body since its inception has been of great help to the university in trying to bridge the infrastructural gaps as it concerns engineering programmes.


It is in view of this that the Forum recently provided some vital engineering equipment to the university, to ensure that the students were given proper education, practically and otherwise in order to make them viable engineers on graduation.
Expressing his gratitude to the Forum for their support, the vice-chancellor, Professor Nwajiuba noted that the provision and installation of the needed equipment and tools in the engineering workshop by the Forum was a testament to the importance of the association in the affairs of the university. He maintained that with the availability of the equipment students of the faculty would now be exposed to the dynamics and practical aspects of their studies, and reiterated his commitment towards ensuring that the faculty turns-out employable, vibrant and practical-oriented engineers on graduation.


He also urged the lecturers in the faculty to brace up to the challenges of training 21st century engineers, not just those with certificates but those with the functional knowledge and practical skills to contribute to the infrastructural development of Nigeria. And stated that the idea of engaging engineering students in the ongoing fencing of the university was informed by the need to expose them early in life to the practical aspects of their intending profession, adding that the experience they would garner through it is worth the effort.


Earlier, the Chairman of the Forum, Engr. Oga Chidi Onwe thanked the vice-chancellor for initiating the idea and supporting the Forum to work without any inhibition, stressing their continued commitment to the growth and development of the university. He further expressed the support of the Forum to the university management in its quest to train their children and wards to become viable engineers.


The Chairman also used the opportunity to call on other parents and guardians that are still skeptical about the importance of the Forum to the university to have a rethink and support its activities, adding “it is to the benefit of our children and wards to support the vice-chancellor and the university management to give them the best academic training.”