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By Madu Obi
The outgoing Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Professor Charles Esimone says he has actualized his vision for the institution as he rounds up his five-year tenure.
Speaking at the 2023 -2024 matriculation ceremony for fresh undergraduate students at the Awka campus of the university, Esimone listed no- go areas for them if they hope to graduate from UNIZIK.
He said: "I had assumed office in June 2019 with a vision to pilot Nnamdi Azikiwe University to become the best university in Nigeria, among the best ten universities in Africa and among the best 200 universities in the world, otherwise known as project 200.
"Today at the twilight of my administration, I can confidently say that we have achieved much, going by the rankings of a recent Time Higher Education World, University Ranking 2024.
"For universities not more than 50 years of establishment, Nnamdi Azikiwe University is placed 501+ in global ranking and 5th in Nigeria."
"For sub-saharan Africa ranking, the university is 31st and 4th in Nigeria and for the world ranking, UNIZIK is 1,501+ and 8th in Nigeria."
"For your stay in this university to successfully end with the acquisition of a university degree, you owe certain obligations to the university, your parents and yourselves."
These obligations are payment of fees, attendant to lectures, avoiding examination misconduct, certificate forgery and cultism.
"It needs no gainsaying that you must pay your school fees as and when due, to enable the university maintain existing facilities and provide new ones."
Any student who does not pay his/her fees by the appropriate time runs the risk of being excluded from examinations.
"You must attend at least 75% attendance of all lectures and practicals for you to be allowed to write examinations."
"Examination misconduct could fetch you suspension for up to three years and even expulsion.
Also, students found to have registered with fake certificates are expelled from the university."
"Cultism is anathema in this university as all proven cultists are expelled."
"Other deviant behaviors such as robbery, rape, etc are not tolerated, for these are both misconduct and crime punishable by expulsion from the university and terms of imprisonment by the state".
He said that apart from being accredited with the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the relevant professional bodies, UNIZIK has linkages with many world-renowned universities spread across the United State of America, China, Europe and Africa, as well as with local institutions.
According to him, the essence of the linkages is to facilitate academic programmes development, teaching/research, public service and staff/student exchange.
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