Vice Chancellor FUNAI Open-up on His Challenges as VC

Chinedum Nwajiuba is a professor of Agricultural Economics. He holds the B. Agric. (1986) and M.Sc. (1989) in Agricultural Economics (University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria), and a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Hohenheim, Germany (1994). He started lecturing in the Nigerian University system at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike in the 1995/1996 session and was appointed Professor of Agricultural Economics in 2004.

He has served Imo State University in various capacities including as Head, Department of Agricultural Economics, Director, Information and Communication Technology, Director of Academic Planning and Dean of the School of Postgraduate Studies. Outside the University System, he has served the nation in various capacities including as Chairman of the Imo Food Basket Programme by the Imo State Government, charged with articulating and implementing strategies for food production. In 2009, he was appointed a Member of the National Agricultural Seeds Council (Federal Ministry of Agriculture). He has also served as the Executive Director of Nigerian Environmental Study Action Team (NEST) and the Project Coordinator of the Canadian International Agency (CIDA) funded Building Nigeria’s Response to Climate Change (BNRCC) project. He was a delegate to the 2014 Nigeria National Conference.  Professor Nwajiuba was recently appointed Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI). In this exclusive interview with HeroesRealLife, he spoke exclusively on his challenges, vision and future plans for the University.

Interview:

How does it feel to be the new VC?

It is a call to service, a rare opportunity at God's will. It is a lot of responsibility to run a University at this stage but I believe that God who has called me here will grant me the grace to discharge the responsibility to his glory.

As VC, what leadership style and policy do you intend to use in leading this institution?

As VC, I must interact with my colleagues in a manner that does not suggests I am superior. With the knowledge that the university is filled with intellects, I will run a collective leadership style and policy that recognizes rich endowment of human resources.

What are your major challenges as a VC and how have you been able to surmount these challenges?

Well, I don't know about surmounting them, the university is a fairly new University and I am the second Vice Chancellor. It is at a stage where we have to define its culture and character. Our goal is to become a world-class university and this can only be achieved by having world-class academic and administrative staff with a world class attitude in terms of service delivery, character and knowledge. Due to the  society we live in and the time we are in, my first major challenge is the need to get people to have the right attitude to work. We live in a society where people write an application for employment by saying 'I beg to apply' and when given the employment they become reluctant to work. People want to do anything but to work and I think it's a social-cultural problem. 
Last semester we graduated our first set of students and for the first time, in our last examination we didn't have any case of examination malpractice and this shows that we are on the right track. Since my assumption as VC, members of staff instead of staff now come early to work and they set target for delivery of result. There are many challenges but this is the major challenge for me. 

What measures do you intend to take in ensuring that the Educational standard of FUNAI rises to be one of the best University in Nigeria. 

Our university aims to be a world class university not just a Nigerian best. No school can rise above the quality of the teachers. Here at FUNAI, Senate approves guideline for appointment and promotion and we insist on high quality standard of education. This has also made the members of staff to sit up to their responsibility. If I have the right members of staffs who are excellent researchers and world class, with the right attitude we will get there.

With full knowledge of the Economic Recession in Nigeria, in what area  is FUNAI affected?

The primary effect on the university is inadequate funds to run activities and meet the basic need for payment. There is so much to be done in an era where financial resources are not flowing. However we want to find a way to reach out to people in private sector to help the institution. We have opened up investment opportunities where individuals and organisations can partner with us in different activities that will help develop the institution and make us deliver our teaching services at ease. The investment opportunity will also help the university to raise resources to be able to teach better. 

What are the pressing infrastructure needs of FUNAI

We will like to have more physical facilities, staff quarters, hostels for students, laboratory, water, electricity. Presently we have no tarred road, so we need good roads urgently. These are our major infrastructure challenges for now.

What is your goal and vision for FUNAI?

I want the university to be ranked globally. I told the members of staff we have to be more creative and hardworking so that we can be ranked globally. We are already making waves, our lecturers and students are winning awards and in a short time the world will know that we are different from other universities in this country.

What legacy do you want to be remembered for?

At the end of my tenure, I want people to know that a son of God was here after seeing the remarkable turnaround of this Institution. 

What is your advise to your students and Nigerian youth.

The students should know that they are not inferior. We have a rich history, so we all need to sit up and take our place among the stars. Like FUNAI logo, we soar like the eagle for all to see globally. We are not second rated and we must conquer worldwide. 

Can you please tell us more about the new faculty of Agriculture and the  2-days Agricultural summit.

The University has the mandate to teach, do research and do community service. We must also be strong in Agriculture. Our faculty of agriculture will be different from others. The population of the country is increasing and so is  unemployment. This summit is to inform the country that we are in the position to lift this country in agriculture. We intend to set a unique standard in the study of agriculture. It will be a unique faculty of Agriculture that after training students and they graduate they will become self employed. It will turn out to be an award winning faculty of Agriculture. It will be a faculty with original research. We are ready to take our responsibility to drive this country forward. 

The 2-days summit would be held on the 29th and 30th November, 2016 and the theme is 'A new face of Agricultural Training in a Declining Oil Based Economy'.

In addition to the Agriculture summit, the University will be hosting the 2016 International Conference of the Nigerian Environmental Study Action Team (NEST). The theme of the conference is Agricultural Resilience and Security in Nigeria. The conference will be held on the 25th and 26^th of October, 2016 at the University. The goal of the conference is to provide a platform for researchers, policy makers and practitioners to share innovative ideas and research results in the area of agricultural resilience and security in Nigeria.

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