It pains our children cannot get quality education we received–Nwodo

The former President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief John-Nnia Nwodo, has expressed serious concern over what he described as “a drastic decline” in the quality of education in the country.

He said, “It pains me that children of our contemporaries in the university cannot get the quality education that we received during our time.”

Nwodo made the remark at the 2nd Matriculation ceremony of Maduka University, Enugu, on Friday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the university, founded by Dr Samuel-Maduka Onyishi, matriculated 664 new students at the ceremony.

Speaking in a keynote address, Nwodo recalled that while at the University of Ibadan, their taps ran 24 hours and showers had cold and hot taps.

“They ran all day and night,” he said,
adding that the hostel had an airconditioned room, where they could entertain themselves and their guests with cold drinks, biscuits and cakes as well as tea or coffee.

He also said that the university laundry washed ten items of clothing for each student every week.

According to him, food was subsidised and breakfast was 20 kobo, lunch and dinner were 25 kobo, respectively.

Nwodo also recalled that the university buses left from the Main Campus to the Teaching Hospital Campus every 30 minutes, carrying students and staff members, who had lectures.

“We had departmental libraries as well as a Central Library.

“Any book published in Europe or America was available in our reference section of the library within one month of its publication. So were journals.

“We patronised the international literary traffic.

“We hardly experienced any power failure in the three years I spent in Ibadan.

“Photocopying machines were available at the departmental libraries and General Library.

“We had access to topical and contemporary knowledge,” Nwodo said.

He further said that the Faculty of Medicine had many lecturers, who came from Europe, while their Nigerian counterparts went on sabbatical, teaching in the universities in Europe, Canada and America.

“Notwithstanding that I was an Igbo man, I ran election against a Yoruba candidate and defeated him and became President of the Student Union without any bias of ethnicity.

“It pains me so much that you, as our children, cannot get the quality of education we, your parents got but those of you in Maduka University are privileged.

“You have good buildings, power and water supply and lecturers hungry and anxious to teach in an institution with facilities,” Nwodo said.

He, therefore, commended Onyishi for establishing the university, which many students were now benefiting from.

In a speech, Onyishi, who is also the Chancellor of the university, said that  university remained the pact he made with God to improve his community and society significantly in a positive way through the instrumentality of agriculture, education, healthcare and technology.

He said the school was established to fill the gap and solve the education needs of society, describing the institution as a fast growing private university in Nigeria.

“It is gratifying that within our first one year and five months, we have been blessed with close to 1,300 students.

“These figures testify to the acceptance of our brand of education at the tertiary level,” he said.

While thanking parents and sponsors for founding the institution worthy to send their children and wards, Onyishi said the university was committed to providing quality education and entrepreneurship skills to its students.

The Chairman, Board of Trustees of the university, Sen. Mohammed Daggash, urged the students to strife for excellence and take their lectures seriously.

The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Azuka-Mbata, also extolled Onyishi for establishing the university.

Azuka-Mbata called on other wealthy Igbo sons and daughters to emulate him by investing at home. (NAN)