Wigwe University, Isiokpo, has pledged to organize a free skills training scheme for the youth of its host of Isiokpo, in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Marwan Al- Alkaidi disclosed this in an exclusive interview shortly after the maiden matriculation ceremony of the university on November 14, 2024
Prof. Al- Alkaidi said the training though not degree certified would see the youth getting trained in various skills like computer, engineering, communication, information technology and others.
“The training demonstrates the strong cordial relationship existing between the university and the community, and is part of our corporate social responsibility to the people,” the vice chancellor stressed.
He said that the university is currently running 23 programs spread into four colleges, namely, the college of science and computing, engineering, management ciences and arts.
The vice chancellor added that the National Universities Commission (NUC) is expected to grant full accreditation to all the programs before the end of the year.
He described the quality and standard of academics being offered by the institution as top notch.
” The quality of the university is of international standard. I am from the United Kingdom and we are implementing the British university standard,” he maintained.
Prof. Al- Alkaidi applauded Gov. Siminalayi Fubara administraton for granting full scholarships to all the 100 pioneer students of the universityz describing the gesture as unprecedented.
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He explained that the scholarships included free feeding and accomodation, with the prospect of another 100 students benefitting from the gesture next academic year
On the challenges the death of the founder of the university, the late Dr Herbert Wigwe might have thrown up, the vice chancellor said philosophically that “there is nothing in life without challenges and we have risen to the challenges.”
” There are so many challenges on our way, but we are up to those challenges and we are expecting more challenges because we don’t want to be a conventional university.
“We are a university of vision of Dr. Herbert Wigwe and that vision is vision of a fearless university and we are up to that challenge”
Prof Alkaidi said that the vision of the management of the university is to make the institution number one in Nigeria in the next three years and to be number one in Africa in the next five years.
The Trumpet recalls that the founder of the university, Dr Herbert Wigwe,his wife and son died in a plane crash in America in 2023.
