Omo N’ Oba N’ Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II, Oba of Benin, has expressed confidence in the ability of the newly inaugurated vice chancellor of the University of Benin, (UNIBEN) Prof. Edoba Bright Omoregie, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) to excel in his new assignment, stating that he is equal to the task. Oba Ewuare 11 said UNIBEN was lucky to have Prof. Omoregie at this time. Speaking when Professor Omoregie, a professor of constitutional law and governance, led the management team and the Governing Council of the institution on a courtesy visit to the Oba’s palace, Benin City, Oba Ewuare II said he had no doubt that the 11th substantive Vice Chancellor would bring his wealth of experience to bear in expanding the frontier of knowledge across intellectual span as ‘a specialist in legislative interpretation’. The Oba said, “He (VC) is very close to me; and I can vouch for his integrity. Many of the Chiefs here do know certain things about his background. His father was also very close to the Palace. “The Governing Council did a very nice job. Congratulations, Professor Edoba, on your new appointment. No doubt that he is equal to the task. I was very glad that he picked some salient points and critical areas that need attention, including students and staff welfare”. The Benin monarch also tasked the University Management team to hone the skills of its students in Entrepreneurship and promote industrial harmony among the various staff unions to avert disruptions in academic programmes. He said “When we hear of strikes, it keeps us very worried. Sometimes, some of them can be quite violent, intense. It sometimes disrupts the academic calendar. I am sure Professor Edoba will have a way of navigating through all that. He is skilled. He is smart. He knows what he is doing. You have a good VC with Edoba”. Earlier, Prof. Omoregie, paid tribute to the memory of Oba Akenzua II who donated a vast land where the University was established years ago. He thanked Oba Ewuare II for his commitment towards the well-being of Edo people and the school. Highlighting priority areas in his five-year tenure, Prof. Omoregie promised to harness cultural values of Edo heritage. He emphasised that students and staff welfare, in addition to skills development across the various faculties aimed at generating a pool of income, were needed to preserve the University’s central purpose. Omoregie, who also promised to make the University globally competitive with the support of stakeholders, solicited for prayer from the Palace to enable him to succeed in his new task. Recall that on his assumption of office on Monday, Prof. Omoregie had unveiled his five-point agenda as vice chancellor. Sworn into office by the director of UNIBEN Legal Services, Prof. Tony Ewere, Prof. Omoregie listed his five-point agenda to include the sustenance and improvement of the degree programmes of the university with special attention to national and emerging global standards, positioning the university as a capacity-building training hub across various vocations and disciplines, with concomitant improvement in its revenue base, and to attract global attention as a leading capacity-building training institution. He also promised to prioritise students and staff welfare through income, and support received from various sources, as well as significantly improve the infrastructure and environment of the university in the areas of electricity access using renewable energy sources; fast and functional internet service, conducive hostel facilities, and environment-friendly initiatives, among others. Prof. Omoregie further said he would focus on harmonious relationship between the university management and staff and student unions. While paying homage to his immediate predecessor, Prof. Lilian Salami, the chancellor, Prof. Ortese Iorzua James Ayatse, the Tor Tiv, for their giant strides, and the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II for his fatherly role, the new vice chancellor said “As Chief Executive, my focus is to take this University to higher grounds in consonance with the laws applicable to the University, and without undermining the institutional framework of the University System. To this end, the Committee System and other institutional operational mechanisms of the University shall be maintained and advanced. “In my very first public interview on my appointment, I stated clearly that the University of Benin, like every other thriving university, is an institution where nobody makes decisions alone but in consultation with stakeholders through the established institutional channels.” He noted with regret that in the last nearly 50 years, the Nigerian Public University System witnessed increased turbulence caused by two significant yet conflicting paradigms: the need to increase access to university education, and the challenges of dwindling public funding. He posited that since 1987 when he was admitted as a law student in the University, and January 1998 when he was employed as an academic staff till date, he had lived through this turbulence, adding that the consequence of the crisis was the arrested development of the Nigerian Public University System despite the obvious resourcefulness of the stakeholders, especially university scholars, non-academic, and the student bodies. Prof. Omoregie asserted that “In my sojourn in the policy arena in the last 10 years through my service with the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), the think-tank organ of the National Assembly which is affiliated with the University of Benin, I have come to notice the concern and anxiety caused by this crisis even in the policy arena, and appreciate the efforts being made to reverse the situation. “What is clear is that the system needs rejuvenation to avoid frequent disruption through strikes. I sincerely believe that this can be achieved through innovative funding, which prioritises increased and unhindered access to public university education for citizens, infrastructural development, and improved staff welfare. “It is in this regard that I must commend the effort of the present federal government to provide access through the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). This approach is consistent with global best practices for creating access to university education”.
