GOVERNOR IKPEAZU URGES TOR TIV TO ATTRACT DEVELOPMENT TO ABSU

GOVERNOR IKPEAZU URGES TOR TIV TO ATTRACT DEVELOPMENT TO ABSU

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has urged the Tor Tiv of Tiv Kingdom, Prof James Ayatse, who is the new Chancellor of the Abia State University, Uturu to use his contacts to draw development to the institution.

Ikpeazu said this during a state banquet organised in honour of Ayatse, where he noted that as chancellor he was expected to use his wide influence in the education sector to further the interest of ABSU.

The governor said, “When I arrived at the University of Calabar for my PhD studies in Biochemical Pharmacology, Prof Ayatse was one of the lecturers that inspired me. He made me see my choice of becoming a university lecturer as the right one. Then I promised myself that I would equal his achievements in academics. But when he became the Vice-Chancellor, University of Agriculture, Makurdi and later Vice-Chancellor Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, I knew then that I could not attain his academic heights.”

In his response, Ayatse said his appointment as Chancellor of ABSU has the potential of strengthening existing relationships and opening new areas of cooperation and collaboration not only between Abia and Benue states, but also to the two geo-political zones and Nigeria.

“May I assure Your Excellency and the entire university community that I shall do the needful to justify the confidence reposed in me by this appointment. God helping me, I shall deploy my experience and network built over the years within and outside the university system, as well as in and outside the country to positively impact on the fortunes of the university,” he said.