₦airaland Forum

FUNAI HOLDS VALEDICTORY SENATE IN HONOUR OF PROF. AUSTIN CHUKWU
• Faculty of Humanities organizes creative activities in his honour
The Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Ebonyi State, yesterday held a valedictory senate session in honour of the late Prof. Austin Chukwu who died on Monday, August 7th, 2017.
This came even as the Faculty of Humanities celebrated the deceased in a creative command performance at the University auditorium.
The late Chukwu, a professor of humane letters joined FUNAI as one of its pioneer staff on October 2nd, 2012, having transferred his services from Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki.

He was the pioneer Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and a vocal member of the University Senate. He participated actively in the interviews that brought in the first sets of staff into the University.
An accomplished academic and a consummate administrator, the late Chukwu was elected a member of the University Governing Council representing Senate at both the first and second Councils until his sudden demise.
In an emotion-laden event witnessed by the bereaved family, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba condoled with them on the irreparable loss, describing the late professor’s death as shocking.

He noted that the late Chukwu played a notable role in midwifing the establishment of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in the University.
“He was one of the few academics that worked on the academic brief for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences”, the Vice Chancellor stated, adding that “his place in the University is glorious and assured.”
The Vice Chancellor added: “…Prof. Austin Chukwu, a literary icon, cultural and cultured personality, a professor of humanities… will be deeply missed.”

VC, Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba condoling with members of the late Prof. Austin Chukwu’s family during the event
Other members of the University Senate that included the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sunday Elom, former deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. Mosto Onuoha, Dean, Faculty of Humanities, Prof. Gloria Emezue, Head, Department of Languages/Linguistics/Literary Studies, Dr. Nnena Nwosu and Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), FUNAI chapter, Dr. Oguguo Egwu, all paid glowing tributes to the fallen academic, describing him as a teacher par excellence, orator, activist, bold and courageous, and an erudite scholar of international standing, adding that his intellectual works and other worthy legacies would remain indelible and immortal.
In their response, the former Nigeria Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu who spoke on behalf of the bereaved family described his deceased brother as a man in the finest definition of the word, thanking the University Senate for regaling them with all his fun memories.

The solemn event was witnessed by the former Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Prof. Chigozie Ogbu, who also thanked the University Management for honouring the late professor with a valedictory senate meeting.

The late Prof. Austin Chukwu

Stakeholders in the Agriculture and Health sectors of the Nigerian economy yesterday canvassed for the fortification of micronutrients in staple foods to stem the ugly effect of hidden hunger.
They made the call during the maiden international conference on Food Security and Hidden Hunger organized by the Faculty of Agriculture, Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Ebonyi State with the theme “Hidden Hunger Dynamics: Opportunities and Challenges for Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.”

Declaring the conference open, the Vice Chancellor of the University,Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba noted that the era of oil boom was over and advised governments at all levels to invest massively in Agriculture in order to mitigate the incidence of poverty and hunger in the country.
He maintained that Agriculture has a strategic role to play in Nigeria’s quest for economic stability, food security and employment generation for the youths. The Professor of Agricultural economics further stated that the University established a Faculty of Agriculture in order to help its host community in particular and Ebonyi State in general achieve their agricultural prospects.

He further said: “Our Faculty of Agriculture was established to give practical skills to the students in order to make them employers of labour and contributors to the growth of our nation’s economy on graduation”, stressing that the Faculty would be different in many ways as students would be exposed to the rudiments and dynamics of modern farming.
Delivering the lead paper of the conference entitled “Hidden Hunger Dynamics: Opportunities and Challenges for Meeting the Sustainable Goals”, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Ndowa Ekoate Sunday Lale said: “Hidden hunger means inadequate consumption of nutritious food bearing in mind that the psychological use of food is within the domain of nutrition and health, adding that “food preparation and packaging affect its nutritional contents.”

He noted that no nation has achieved food security despite the notable increase in food production in different parts of the world, stressing that 60% of the world’s hungry were women while in every 10 seconds a child dies from hunger-related diseases.
He therefore canvassed for increased intake of nutritional and fresh food and the shunning of processed ones and the invigoration of the school health programmes in order to mitigate the negative effect of hidden hunger on people like malnutrition, obesity, wasting and the likes.
In his presentation on “Full But Not Healthy: Assessing the Policies Cum Programmes to Support Food Security and Fight Hidden Hunger in Nigeria”, the former Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu opined that both the quality and quantity of food were important in tackling micronutrients deficiency in food consumption.
He lauded the federal government initiative of fortifying salt with vitamins A, calling on agencies of government charged with implementation and monitoring to go the extra miles to secure compliance from all stakeholders. He maintained that for hidden hunger to be curtailed in the country, government should enforce the fortification of all stable foods with essential nutrients like it is being done with salt.

The Professor of Medicine further advised the ministries of heath and agriculture and its agencies to work in synergy, also urging them to work directly with the people for the government policy on food security to have consummate impact on the citizens.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee for the conference, Prof. Dr. Jonny Ogunji and the Acting Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Dr. Christiana Igberi spoke on the rationale for hosting the conference and the benefits to be derived from it by all stakeholders.
Ogunji noted that preventing hidden hunger in all its forms was essential for achieving almost all the Sustainable Development Goals, stressing that the goals were to assess efforts made towards food security realization, stimulate debate on hidden hunger, improve diets and raise levels of micro-nutrition among others.
Igberi on her part noted that the establishment of a Faculty of Agriculture in the University was one of the greatest achievements of the present University Management, adding that the consequences of hidden hunger on people were long term and profound. And called on all relevant stakeholders to have a re-think in the issue of food security especially nutrition.
The opening ceremony of the conference was chaired by the Chief Medical Director of the Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (FETHA), Dr. Emeka Onwe Oga.

Attention All Graduands/Prospective Corps Members. Following the approval of the degree results, all graduands/ Prospective corps members are by this notice informed that the Final clearance form is now available. All concerned are requested to collect the form from the Exams and records Unit. Note that only cleared students Will be mobilized within the next two weeks. Please be guided accordingly.
Dr Charles Nkem Okolie. DSA

The Vice Chancellor of Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Ebonyi State, Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba has inaugurated 100 units of seat donated by the University’s Parents Forum as its contribution to the infrastructural development of the institution.

Presenting the seats to the University on Friday, 6th October, 2017, the Chairman of the Forum, Prof. Samuel Igwe noted that the association decided to support the University in order to bridge the infrastructural gap confronting the institution especially in the area of lecture seats.
Hear him: ‘This is just the beginning. We will do more things to uplift the infrastructure of the University.”
The Professor of Pharmacology in the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) maintained that their gesture would further promote conducive learning environment in the University, enabling the students to be fully concentrated to their studies instead of scampering around during lectures in search of seats.

Lending credence to the activities of the Parents Forum geared towards supporting the achievement of the vision of the University, Dr. Adeolu Adewale stated that the Forum would continue to initiate actions that would enhance the University’s infrastructure standing, adding that parents paid N2,000 each in order to construct the lecture seats that they donated.
He reiterated that the birth of the FUNAI Parents’ Forum 10 months ago was one of the worthy legacies of the present University Management, thanking the Vice Chancellor for his thoughtfulness and support towards the realization of the dream.
Expressing his gratitude to the Parents Forum for the wonderful gesture, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Nwajiuba noted that the University was committed to being a different kind of institution in Nigeria.
His words: “We are committed to training a different kind of students.
“The students we train in FUNAI are different from other students trained elsewhere
“We are interested in maintaining the academic calendar and in ensuring a beautiful learning environment
“Our University is getting better”, he concluded.

He urged the parents to continue in their good work, stressing that being part of the university’s challenge was a means of contributing to the development of their children and wards, and enjoined other Nigerians to imbibe the culture of giving back to society.

VC, Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba inaugurating the seats donated by the FUNAI Parents Forum

The Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Ebonyi State, wishes to inform the general public that it has not released any admissions list or the amount of money to be paid for school fees in the 2017/2018 academic session.
Candidates are hereby advised to disregard any such information circulating around in the public space. It is the handiwork of mischief makers and fraudsters trying to deceive unsuspecting candidates.
Authentic information concerning admission status of candidates and the University school fees for the 2017/2018 academic year shall be released on the University website: www.funai.edu.ng at the appropriate time.
Please, be properly guided.

Elom Iyke Ubochi Minst PM
Head, Public Relations

Click here to download and viewhttps://www.funai.edu.ng/news/2017-2018-academic-calendar/

The Technical Assistant to the Governor of Ebonyi State on Student Affairs, Comrade Daniel Okorie has extolled the developmental strides going on in the Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Ebonyi State.
The Governor’s aide made the remark recently when he paid a courtesy visit to the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba.
Commending the Vice Chancellor for his legacy of good works, Okorie noted that he was on hand to familiarize himself with the University and to intimate the institution’s Management on the various programmes of the state government designed for the benefit of students such as the Students’ Mental Adjustment Programme, Mentorship Programme, Students’ Debate Competition and more.

The programmes, he further stated were designed to develop the capacities of students and get them involved in both physical and mental activities, leaving no room for them to join any anti-social groups capable of derailing their future.
Okorie, also informed the University of a scheme in which 10% (ten percent) of his salary are used to pay the school fees of indigent students. He seized the opportunity to call for assistance from individuals and organizations, adding that this would help in ameliorating the suffering of such students.
Receiving the delegation, the Vice Chancellor, who was represented by the Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Charles Okorie, noted that the programmes of the Ebonyi state government in respect to students were timely, stating that the University right from its establishment has been carrying out similar activities for the good of her students.

He further pledged to partner with the Office of the Technical Assistance on Student Affairs in some of their programmes and called for the continued support of the Ebonyi State government in making the University great.
The Director of the Center for Development Assistance Management, Partnership and Training, (CEDAMPAT) Mr. Chris Uwadoka, in his remarks reinstated the commitment of the University towards partnering with individuals and corporate organizations in other to create a better society and breed strong and resilient young generation.
The highpoint of the visit was the presentation of an award to the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Nwajiuba in appreciation of his developmental strides in the institution.

This is to inform the general public, especially candidates that participated in the Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Ebonyi State 2017/2018 Post UTME Screening Test that the result of the examination is out.

Candidates should note that the result of the test does not amount to having gained admission into the University as there are other requisite conditions.

To access the result, candidates are expected to pay One Thousand Naira (N1,000.00) only, by following the steps below:

Click on “ADMISSIONS”
Click on “Check PUTME Screening Result”
Enter your “JAMB Registration Number”
Select your payment option: BankIT (Card payment ) or Generate invoice
Generate invoice from the portal Proceed to any bank for your payment
Proceed to any bank with your etranzact invoice number to pay
Return to the portal and enter your “Etranzact PIN”
Proceed to check your PUTME screening result.

Finally, candidates should beware of fraudsters. The University has not authorized any person (s) to collect money from candidates for admission. Any money paid to individuals in that regard is at the giver’s risk. The University would not be held liable for it.
PLEASE, BE WARNED!

History was made in the Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Ebonyi State on Wednesday, 20th September, 2017, as the first stone-based asphalted road in the institution was done. One of the greatest challenges that have confronted the institution since its establishment on February 26th, 2011 was the dearth of well-laid out intra-campus roads.

The University which sits on over 400 hectares of land had no single asphalted road within the campus, leaving staff and students to trudge through heavy dusts during dry seasons and mud in the rainy seasons, with its attendant health hazards on the University community.
In fact, the issue of dusts was so pronounced to that extent that some students with health challenges like asthma had to be on edge during the dry seasons, making the University health center to always be on red alert to avoid casualty of any sort. Staff and visitors alike had their own bitter stories to tell as regards the dusts issue.

Nevertheless, the University Management, from February 2016 decided to take the bull by the horns. Firstly, it approved some palliative measures to arrest the ugly situation. Often, University tanker was engaged to pour water on the roads to mitigate the incidence of dust. Earth moving equipment was also used during the rainy season to scrape out the mud from the road to make it friendly to road users. Secondly and more importantly, it took cognizance of the fact that the yearly budgetary allocation to the University cannot do much in that regard. So, instead of waiting helplessly and complaining as most people would do, the Management embarked on innovative ways to get the roads permanently fixed.

Through the ingenuity of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba, architectural designs of important intra campus roads within the University were made. It also identified all the ecological challenges confronting the institution, including its environmental impact on the community. Armed with this, a proposal was sent to the Presidency, Ecological Office, Abuja for intervention. Fully motivated by the need to make a difference, the Vice Chancellor followed up the proposal with all intent and purpose, contacting all those that matter to help the arrest the endemic problem.
That doggedness paid off when President Mohammadu Buhari approved an ecological fund intervention worth N1.498 billion to tackle environmental challenges confronting the University. The approval was the first of its kind in any Nigerian University. Through this fund, the ongoing roads, culverts and drainages construction works in the University started.
Laying of the stone-based foundation going on, on some of the campus roads
By November 2017, the entire project is expected to be completed, leaving the University with well-paved asphalted intra campus road networks, good drainage systems and well-laid out culverts.
Indeed, the proverbial FUNAI dusts are now settling, as the institution now has its first set of asphalted road

The Webometric Ranking is the ranking of world Universities and other higher education institutions based on the volume and quality of the contents of publications on the Web. It emphasizes online visibility and activities.
In the area of visibility, World Universities are ranked according to the visibility of the research output of its academic staff, especially the web presence of their intellectual works as epitomized in Research Gate and Google Scholar citations and other reputable online academic platforms. While in the area of activities, Universities are ranked in terms of presence, impact, openness and excellence of their academic activities.
These factors are the core considerations for Webometric ranking, which are usually released twice a year- January and July.
Since its establishment on 26th February, 2011, the Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Ebonyi State has been making progress in the biannual Webometrics ranking; nevertheless it could also be argued that before the assumption of duty by the present Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba on February 2016 much attention was not paid to the online presence of the University and that of its staff, especially the online exposure of their intellectual works.
In the 2015 ranking, the University placed 74th among Nigerian Universities. However, as from February 2016, the University has continued to make sweeping progress in its Webometric ranking. In fact, in July 2016, FUNAI was 62nd in the ranking of all Nigerian Universities, Federal, State and Private inclusive and jumped to 42nd in the Universities ranking of July 2017 and 46th in the category of all tertiary education institutions in Nigeria.
This dramatic rise in the Webometric ranking of FUNAI is fuelled by the irrevocable commitment of the University Management towards ensuring that the factors as mentioned earlier in this treatise were vigorously pursued and implemented in every fabric of the University. More so, staff are being galvanized to imbibe the culture of excellence and integrity in all their academic activities to meet international best practice.

The setting up of the University Webometric Ranking Committee and subsequently the establishment of the Centre for Internationalization, Linkages, Advancement and Global Ranking by the University Management this year was a clear signal that it means business. These two strategic offices, headed by a highly enlightened and ICT savvy academic, Dr. Afam Icha-Ituma are driving the process of ensuring that the University achieves global visibility and recognition by improving the institution’s online presence.
In achieving this noble task, the University academic staff are being mandated to update their profiles on the University website and acquire FUNAI official e-mail addresses from the institution’s ICT department. They are also being made to register with Google Scholar and Research Gate; upload, monitor and update their publications and other academic works with the two internationally-acclaimed online academic repositories. More importantly, the staff are urged to publish in Thomson Reuter and other impact factor journals to enable them compete favourably with their peers at the global arena and put the name of the University on the world map.
The University Management, more than before, is stressing openness in all its academic activities. Presently, the students’ admission, course registration and results as well as allocation of hostel accommodation are all done online, promoting transparency and easy accessibility. The FUNAI Research Archive (FURA), the institution’s online academic repository, is being strengthened to enable students to access lecture and other scholarly materials from the University website, thereby enhancing excellence in service delivery. This is in addition to the millions of e- books and e-journals domiciled in the University’s e-library.
Through its research activities and community service, the University is making great impact on its host community and Ebonyi State in general. The establishment of the Faculties of Agriculture and Education was done after taking cognizance of the agricultural potential of the area and the need to improve the volume and quality of education in the state. The University is also collaborating with Ebonyi State government through the Faculty of Agriculture to train local farmers, extension officers and staff of the State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on modern farming methodologies in order to improve their production capacities.

The University Management under Prof. Nwajiuba also approved the hosting of a completely new and more user-friendly website to replace the problematic old one, even as efforts are being made to increase its bandwidth to make it more robust, up-to-date and 21st century compliant. The intractable internet challenge facing the University since inception is also being tackled head-on to solve the problem once and for all and make internet readily available and accessible on campus to both staff and students in order to improve online activities and e-administration in the University.
More importantly, the Public Relations Unit has been repositioned, making it more proactive and efficient in news gathering and dissemination, thus engaging the public strategically and enhancing the image of the University. News about the University, its activities and that of staff are now readily and timely celebrated on the website and in both the traditional and social media platforms. This was not the case before now. The University blog and social media platforms (funaiblog, facebook, twitter, instagram and telegram) are all geared towards giving the institution a global visibility in an information-led age. You are invited to be part of these social networks.
The University may not be there yet, however if the tempo of change going on presently in the University is sustained, then the vision of the institution in the area of global competitiveness would be realized in no distant time. This therefore, calls for concerted efforts from all the University stakeholders in terms of unalloyed support to the Management.
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All returning students who are interested in Hostel allocation should register online through FUNAI portal. Please note that the allocation of bed spaces in both male and Female Hostel will be done on first come first served basis.

Application for Hostel allocation will close on Monday 2nd October 2017.

Please be guided accordingly.

https://www.funai.edu.ng/advert-for-20172018-hostel-allocation/

Dr. Charles Nkem Okolie
Ag Dean Student Affairs.

Following the approval of the Vice Chancellor I wish to inform all candidates that the Lodging charges at FUNAI hostel is hereby reviewed as follows :
1. #1000 per a bed space (down stairs)
2. #3000 per a bed space (upstairs with toiletries etc)
You can pay at the hostel counter.
Beware of fraudsters hanging around the school and be well secured. Good luck
Dr Charles Okolie. N
DSA, FUNAI

The 2017/2018 Post UTME Screening Exercise of the Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo still holds as scheduled, starting from Monday, 18th September, 2017. Candidates are advised to print their registration slips from the portal to know the date and time of their examinations. Candidates should note that cellphones, bags, books etc shall not be allowed in the examination areas. Candidates are to come with their original JAMB Slips, registration slips and biro only. Please, be properly guided.

Elom Iyke Ubochi minstPM
Head, Public Relations

Interested candidates who applied for the 2017/2018 post UTME Screening exercise at the Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Ebonyi State are by this notice invited for a free pre-Computer-based trial examination scheduled as follows:
Date: Thursday, 14th September, 2017
Venue: FUNAI CBT Center, take-off site
Time: 9.am
Note: This trial examination is strictly for the candidates that applied to study in the University for the 2017/2018 academic session. And it is meant to help the candidates acquaint themselves with CBT examination environment.
Attendance is free.