By Michael Peter, The Sight News
Abuja-Barring any last minute hitches, the Federal Government has said that the Proposed ICT University of Nigeria will kick start operations by September 2017.
The Minister of Communication, Barr.Adebayo Shittu made this known Monday in Abuja when he received the report of the implementation committee on the establishment of the proposed Information Communication Technology (ICT) University of Nigeria.
Recall that the Federal Government on June 1 inaugurated an implementation committee to facilitate the establishment of the proposed Information Communication Technology (ICT) University of Nigeria.
The Committee, headed by the former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Julius Okojie, had six weeks to perform its task.
Barrister Shittu assured the committee that members of the Federal Executive Council will be impressed by the work done, stressing that it will be approved by the council.
According to him; “I want to also give a commitment that within the next two or three weeks we will have a memorandum discussed at the Federal Executive Council for the validation of the work you have done; so that this university can take off in September as you have scheduled”.
The Minister pointed out that the ICT University of Nigeria will be established under a Public Private Partnership, PPP, stressing that Government will only focus on providing the requisites infrastructure but will rely on the private sector for management and funding of the Institution.
He also stated that in the appointment of the Vice Chancellor and lecturers, the institution will be focusing on a Vice Chancellor and lecturers who are ICT savvy and entrepreneurial in mind so as to achieve the objectives of churning out job creators rather than job seekers.
He said”With regards to the appointment of vice chancellor, we will require a professor of ICT who is also vast in the entrepreneurship part of ICT. If we have to go outside this country to get someone who can drive the university, we must be prepared to do that”.
Earlier, Professor Okojie, while handing over the documents, which are in draft laws, academic briefs and the fiscal plan, assured the minister that a thorough job has been done and the institution can take off on the work done.
He noted that the documents have been prepared to allow for the input of the Senate of the University, when it finally kicks off, saying “you cannot create something for them that they cannot operate. So we make the document very fluid to the extent that they would have their own input”.
He also cautioned that the character of this university will depend on the first staff they employ, stressing that there must be no compromise in having good leadership and good teaching staff.
