By Ononye VC
Catholic priests in Enugu Diocese have donated N50 million to Godfrey Okoye University (GOUNI) Teaching Hospital, Enugu to speed up on-going transformational projects in the hospital.
The priests made the donation last Saturday at their Unum Presbyterium meeting held at the university’s College of Medicine at Ugwuomu Nike, Enugu.
Unum Presbyterium meetings are held thrice a year to bring priests of the diocese up to speed with the happenings in the local and the universal Church.
The university is owned by the Catholic Diocese of Enugu.
In 2021, the church gave permission to GOUNI to take over one of its missionary hospitals, Ntasi Obi Hospital, at Trans-Ekulu Layout, Enugu, as its teaching hospital.
The development was a big relief to the budding university, as the facility serves as a training centre for its students of medical sciences.
More than 450 priests who gathered at Saturday’s meeting were thrilled at the rapid transformation taking place in the main campus of the university.
Many of them observed that the medical students at the college had adapted to the environment and were at home with the practical academic programmes of their studies.
Apart from the monetary donations, some of the priests indicated interests to offer scholarships to indigent students of the university.
During the meeting, the Auxiliary Bishop of the diocese, Most Rev. Ernest Obodo, encouraged those who could take up some projects in the university to do so.
Declaring the meeting open earlier, the Bishop of the diocese, Most Rev. Callistus Onaga commended the clerics for their solidarity.
He also commended the priests for their commitment to the spread of the gospel as well as the educational programmes of the diocese.
In his remarks, vice-chancellor of the university, Rev. Fr. Christian Anieke reaffirmed its determination to realise the objectives of the diocese in establishing the university.
Anieke described Saturday’s donation as a tonic that would boost the management’s efforts to fast-track the growth of the university.
