By Chidi Nkwopara

OWERRI – The geo-metric growth in student population without a corresponding increase in the number of academic staff, inadequate equipment for teaching and research, have been identified as some of the challenges facing Federal University of Technology, FUTO, Owerri.

The Vice Chancellor of FUTO, Professor Chigozie Asiabaka, disclosed this yesterday in his inaugural address to the university community at the 17th General Assembly of the institution.

The new VC said: “The challenges facing the university are numerous and they have militated against the actualisation of the institution’s goals and objectives.”

He advised his colleagues to “demonstrate that we are accountable, transparent, fair, equitable, and that we are stewards of the people’s trust. That we are committed everyday to the awesome fiduciary responsibility to use the resources given to us to achieve the public good.”

Promising that phased construction of residential quarters in the university will be given further impetus to give FUTO a semblance of an academic community, the VC also vowed to recover all the fees owed by students.