By Anayo Okoli

UMUAHIA—MICHAEL Okprara University of Agriculture, MOUA, Umudike, Abia State, will graduate 4,790 students during its 7th convocation ceremony coming up on Saturday.

Michael-Okpara-University-Of-Agriculture

Also, the Emir of Gombe, His Royal Highness, Abubakar Shehu 111, will be installed the Chancellor of the university.

Briefing journalists on the activities lined up to mark the 7th convocation ceremony of the University, Vice Chancellor, Prof. Hillary Edeoga, said that the former governor of Enugu State, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo and Arumah Otteh were also slated to be given honorary doctorate degrees during the ceremony.

Edeoga said he was happy to have put the university’s name into world map, from an obscure institution it was before he became the vice chancellor in 2010.

He called on the Federal Government to strengthen Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TEFUND, which he said, was the only major source of funding for universities, even as he opposed the extension of the tenure of vice chancellors from the present five years, saying that five years was enough for any serious vice chancellor to achieve enough results.

His greatest challenge, according to him, was paucity of funds and land acquisition to expand the university, and he lamented the level of encroachment on the university’s land by some host communities.

Edeoga, however, also lamented the existence of high level pull-him-down syndrome in the university system, which he said, could distract one from doing his work effectively.