₦airaland Forum

obynocute:
So otunta is out

The current Vice Chancellor, Prof. Francis O. Otunta's tenure would end by mid March next year.

PROF VAL EKECHUKWU EMERGES NEW VC-ELECT, MOUAU.

There was jubilation at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) on Thursday as enthusiastic lecturers, students and staff celebrated Prof Val Ekechukwu for scoring the highest point in the interview conducted by the Vice Chancellorship Selection Board to replace the outgoing Vice Chancellor, Prof Francis Otunta.

The final interview which lasted for two days involved about 30 candidates out of which Prof Ekechukwu came first position by scoring 88.93 points ahead of Prof Maduebibisi Iwe and Prof Philipa Ojimelukwe, who scored 82.35 points and 69.67 points respectively.

Ekechukwu, a Professor of Mechanical Engineering (specializing in Applied Energy), obtained his doctorate degree from the Cranfield University, United Kingdom in 1988. He was Director, Research and Innovation and later of ICT of NUC between 2007 and 2015; Dean, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (2018-2020); Fellow, Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria (FICCON); Fellow, Solar Energy Society of Nigeria (FSESN); Fellow, Renewable and Alternative Energy Society of Nigeria (RAESON); and a Registered Engineer with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).


He has been a professor of Applied Solar Energy since 2001 in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, UNN, where he was employed as Graduate (Research) Assistant in its Energy Research Centre in 1983. Since 1998, Prof Ekechukwu has been a member of the UNN Senate as well as member, Board of School of Post-graduate Studies of the University of Nigeria Nsukka for several years.

A widely travelled academic administrator, Ekechukwu has been a recipient of very prestigious academic fellowships, including Fulbright Senior Research Scholar Grant at the foremost Solar Energy Laboratory, University of Wisconsin, Madison USA; Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Foundation Fellowship at University at Karlsruha, Germany.

Long live MOUAU!