NANS honours Vice Chancellor

The Vice Chancellor of Anambra State University (ANSU), Prof Fidelis Okafor has faulted claims that the standard of education in the country has fallen.
Okafor who spoke yesterday after he was conferred with a honourary live membership award by the National Association of Nigerian Student (NANS) said the country’s educational system is not as bad as being portrayed in most quarters.

The Senate President of NANS, Mr Donald Onukaogu led the 67th senate of the association comprising of 225 Students Union Government presidents of federal and state institutions in Nigeria to bestow the award on Prof Okafor.
Speaking at the Uli campus of the University, Okafor said, “I don’t accept that education standard in Nigeria is falling, is not as bad as people try to make it seem. If it is true that educational standard is that bad, how come students of ANSU from the Engineering Department went to London to compete with other universities of the world and came out tops?”
He agreed however that there is need to make the standard of education in the country better, and that in doing so, the trio of the government, the schools managements and the students must be ready to do their part.
“The government must first be ready to provide an atmosphere that is conducive for learning in Universities and also provide all the necessary infrastructure, the lecturers and schools managements must also be up and doing in discharging their functions and the students must be ready to sit down and learn.”
Speaking earlier, Senate President Comrade Onukaogu said that other functionaries sat and deliberated on the award and concluded that none other than Prof Okafor was fit enough for the award.
He said ,“Six years ago when we used to come here, the institution was more or less a glorified secondary school, but today Prof Okafor has been able to change the institution, erecting structures in both campuses of the university and also maintaining a friendly disposition with students.
“We knew a time when this institution went for four or more years without Students Union election because of interference from management who seek to impose one person or the other, but today elections are held regularly. You have also provided qualitative health care services for students.”
Onukaogu said that these and other achievement of the Vice Chancellor qualifies him to enter into the league of NANS live membership award, which already has only six members including Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha and Prof Wole Soyinka as recipients.
Reacting on behalf of the institution, acting Registrar, Evangelist Okwudilichukwu Okechukwu said that the honour is not only to the VC, but to all staff and students of ANSU. He said that coming from NANS; a body which continually stands against schools management, the award is heart-warming. He stated that he is not surprised because to students of the institution, the VC has remained ‘daddy’.