The Vice Chancellor, Edwin Clark University (ECU), Kiagbodo, Delta State, Prof Timothy Olagbemiro has said that the University would be one of the leading institutions in Environmental Research in the country.
The VC who said this during a press conference at the University’s premises, noted that with the rate of environmental pollution in the Niger Delta region, the university will be a reference point in environmental remediation.
He lamented that the Niger Delta region, in spite of being the goose that lays the golden egg in the country, has been neglected by successive governments, describing the region as the poorest in the country with all its lands polluted as a result of oil exploration and exploitation.
He said the university will lead other universities in the country to solve and remediate the Niger Delta environment and bring it back to its past glory of being one of the most fertile land in the world.
According to him, Edwin Clark University is one of the fastest growing private universities in the country that has all its courses accredited by the National University Commission (NUC).
He revealed that ECU is presently running four faculties: Faculty of Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Social and Management Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Faculty of Law.
The VC also revealed that NUC had carried out accreditation for 14 programmes of the institution, which were due in May/June 2018, and gave the institution full accreditation for all of them with scores ranging from 79% to 98%.
“With this success story, ECU is poised to do more by ensuring that it offers the best academic standard in every serene, conducive and safe environment for learning, Prof Olagbemiro said.
On international collaboration and partnership, Prof. Olagbemiro said ECU was “fully aware of the importance, advantages and gains of global recognition and interaction, thus it has entered into partnerships with the United Kingdom and the United States of America”.
“Today, ECU is in partnership with Coventry University, Coventry, United Kingdom, Chicago State University, Chicago, USA, and Reinhardt University, Waleska, Georgia, USA,” Prof Olagbemiro said.
He added that the partnerships with the foreign universities involved students exchange programmes where students of ECU go to the partnering universities to take courses, and the students from the foreign universities will come to ECU to do the same.
In his words;”No doubt this initiative will expose Nigerian students who will pass through ECU to the world, and will also enable foreign students to come to Nigeria. Non African students will have first-hand knowledge of Nigeria as country and Africa as a continent, other than what their country’s media and literature teach them about African continent.”
The University, according to the VC, currently has four Faculties with 25 programmes that were fully accredited, adding that the institution also runs a one-year foundation programme that enables students who successfully complete the programme to be admitted into 200 level (Direct Entry).
“For a University that is just three years old and going to its fourth year, ECU, with all modesty, has done well and all glory must be given to Almighty God,” the VC said.
He said ECU, which is located in the serene town of Kiagbodo, Burutu local government area, Delta State, has a conducive learning environment and is easily accessible, noting that ECU also has seasoned administrators who are well experienced in university administration.
“ECU is fully residential. All our students live in the campus in a well spaced and conducive hostels accommodation. Like the saying goes, graduating students of a university should be found worthy in character and learning, ECU ensures that the students are well catered for to ensure tested academic and moral rectitude,” Prof. Olagbemiro said.
