The Enugu State Government has urged the students of the Enugu State College of Health Technology in Oji River to return back to continue with their academic calendar, assuring that security has been beefed up in the institution.
The government’s call followed last week’s abduction of some students of the college by suspected herders in the area.
Speaking during a meeting with the management, staff, and students of the institution at the Enugu State Government House at the weekend, the Special Adviser on Health Matters, Dr. Yomi Jaye, also announced the government’s intention to revamp the existing infrastructural facilities to give the institution a face-lift and also scale it up to a technology-savvy citadel of learning.
Jaye, who stressed the government’s commitment to ensuring quality health service delivery in the state, emphasized the need for the students of the institution to go back to school and continue the academic activities.
He disclosed that all those involved in the recent breach of security in the school’s neighborhood had been rounded up and now facing the law.
He equally gave the college management a two-week ultimatum to develop a workplan, which the government would work on to ensure that the school functions at its optimum level.
Dr. Jaye said, “We interacted with the management, staff and students of the Enugu State College of Health Technology, Orji River, to come up with a strategic plan to revamp the college and restore its lost glory. His Excellency, Governor Peter Mbah, has expressed his willingness not only to revamp the school, but to upscale it to a technology-savvy teaching community.
“As you can see, the government is bullish about building Type-2 Healthcare Centre in each of the 260 wards and this college will produce some of the qualified workers that will deliver quality healthcare services to Ndi Enugu.
“We appeal to the parents and guardians to allow the students to go back to school and resume their academic activities as more security personnel have been deployed to make sure that both Oji River and its neighbouring communities are properly secured.
“It is also important to inform you that those who perpetrated the security breach have since been arrested and the victims, which included one student, also freed,” he maintained.
Also speaking, the Provost of the College, Dr. Lazarus Ezugwu, expressed his happiness over the state government’s move to revamp the institution, saying he was optimistic that the glory of the institution would be restored in no distant time.
While commending Governor Peter Mbah and the security agencies for their swift response to the recent security breach at the college, he also confirmed that security had been strengthened around the institution and Oji River in general.
“The meeting is such a commendable one. It goes a long way in telling us the type of visionary leader we have in the state. To be sincere, the total overhaul that will be done in the college is going to be enormous. What is coming to the college cannot be imagined because the governor has shown both special interest and political will. This is what we have been yearning for, for so many years,” Dr. Ezugwu stated.
