RECENTLY, the Enugu State House of Assembly enacted a law amending the Institute of Management and Technology Law, Cap. 97, Revised Laws of Enugu State, 2004.

The said law, which is now, cited as the Institute of Management and Technology (Amendment) Law, 2016, among other salient modifications, amended sections 9(1); 24 (1)(a); 25 and 27(1) of the old law, by adding the word “degrees” immediately after the words “award”; “certificates”; “final”; and “awarding”, respectively, making the foremost polytechnic a degree-awarding institution.

Sponsored by the House Leader, Rt. Hon. Ikechukwu Ezeugwu as an executive bill, the institute’s new law in section 3(1) also amended the principal law to redefine its set objectives in line with the vision and repositioning spirit of Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s administration.

In a bid to redefine and actualise the institution’s set objectives, the new law added that the institute shall provide facilities for learning; promote research and other means of advancing knowledge; stimulate, sustain and advance interest in entrepreneurship, scientific growth and agriculture, among others.

It could be recalled that Gov. Ugwuanyi, on assumption of office, took prompt and visionary steps aimed at revamping and repositioning the institute and other state-owned tertiary institutions in keeping with his campaign promise “to ensure that all our children have access to quality education that will enable them compete in today’s global economy”.

A few months after his inauguration, the governor was quick to intervene in the challenges confronting the institute with regard to a backlog of unpaid workers’ salaries, which a major part was inherited from the previous administration.

At the interactive meeting with stakeholders of the state in November 2015, the governor while presenting his scorecard stated that his administration had made concerted efforts to put the institute and other state-owned tertiary institutions on the path of academic excellence and development, announcing the administration’s decision to make IMT a degree-awarding institution.

According to him, “We have also made frantic efforts to provide and improve necessary infrastructure in our tertiary institutions just as we intervened to rescue the Institute of Management and Technology,  IMT,  from the weight of salary arrears and resultant low staff morale.

“I am glad to announce that government has decided to make the IMT a degree-awarding institution and that the necessary machinery to enable us realise this objective, will soon be put in place.

“We have also taken decisive steps towards repositioning and revamping the Enugu State Polytechnic, Iwollo through our push for the revalidation of old programmes and the accreditation of five new courses by the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE.

Sequel to the completion of the process for the transition of the IMT to a degree-awarding institution, the State Executive Council, despite the severe economic crunch, had recently approved N100 million for the institution to meet accreditation needs of its courses.

Inspite of this move, the institute still needs huge funds running into billions of naira for provision of critical infrastructure and other amenities befitting of its new status to meet the standard and basic requirements of the NBTE for such an all-important upgrade to be actualised.

Considering the obvious fact that the state government, like any other state, is being confronted with the adverse effects of the prevailing economic crisis, which has diminished the federal allocations, from where subventions to parastatals and agencies are paid, to an all-time low, one appreciates the initiatives of  the management and governing council of the state-owned tertiary institution to think outside the box to raise funds for infrastructural development and quality service delivery to improve its standard of education.

It is now imperative that government establishments look inwards and harness potentials other than the now lean federal allocation for the growth and development of their respective bodies.

In this regard, the decision by the Dr. Festus Uzor-led governing council of the IMT to partner the innovative Enugu State Housing Development Corporation, ESHDC, to raise huge funds for infrastructural development of the institution as well as assist other needy state’s agencies/parastatals, such as College of Education (Technical), Enugu and Adada Campus (ESUT), is not only a welcome development but also in the best interest of the state.

Now that the Enugu State Government, the state parliament, IMT and other stakeholders have shown commitment towards the repositioning of the state’s educational institutions as centres for excellence and quality education, kudos must go to the present administration for its untiring efforts in keeping faith with its promise to “deploy government services to create fair and equal opportunity for every willing citizen, to make a living and create wealth, educate our children, and enjoy life in a peaceful and secure environment”.

Louis Amoke , a public affairs analyst, wrote from Enugu, Enugu State.