Published on October 16, 2024, by Daniel Chibuike
Former Abia State House of Assembly member, Jerry Uzosike, has called on Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, and his colleagues to advocate for the establishment of a conventional university in Abia State. Uzosike stressed that the state requires a university offering professional courses such as medicine, law, and engineering, rather than one limited to Nigerian languages.
Uzosike’s comments came in response to a bill before the House of Representatives proposing the creation of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu University of Nigerian Languages. While acknowledging the importance of language education, Uzosike highlighted the urgent need for a broader, conventional university in Abia.
He expressed regret that Abia remains the only state without a conventional federal university, citing the reduction of non-agriculture-based courses at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, as a loss for the state.
Uzosike also pointed to a missed opportunity with the military language school established in Isuikwuato during General Ihejirika’s tenure as Chief of Army Staff. He argued that if the school had been developed into a conventional military university, it could have significantly boosted local development.
Uzosike urged Kalu to use his influence to secure a federal university for Abia, which he believes would be a major step toward addressing the state’s educational and professional training needs.
