BY SUNNY A. DAVID
Ex-Minister Osita Chidoka is advocating for a ₦100 billion endowment fund to catapult Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) to the forefront of African universities.
His proposal, delivered as the keynote speaker at the university’s recent lecture series, aims to position COOU as a hub for tackling challenges like insecurity and sustainable development.
Chidoka urged stakeholders to position COOU as a hub for innovative solutions to pressing challenges such as erosion, insecurity, and sustainable development in Igboland and Nigeria at large.
“Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University should not just bear the name of a great leader but embody his legacy by becoming a centre of excellence and innovation,” Chidoka stated. “This endowment will guarantee the university’s capacity to foster groundbreaking research, provide scholarships, and sustain world-class infrastructure independent of fluctuating budgets.”
Chidoka further called on the government to adopt what he termed the “Elitism of Ability,” drawing examples from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). He noted that Indians are leading the world’s technology companies like Microsoft, Alphabet (Google’s parent company), Adobe, and IBM, and attributed this success to the foundation laid by IITs.
“The IITs are globally renowned for their meritocratic selection processes that cultivate world-class engineers and innovators. Nigeria must embrace this model to nurture talent, drive development, and secure a prosperous future,” he said.
He lamented the failure of Nigeria’s higher education to achieve the rigour or global integration level of the IITs. “Although we have numerous universities and an abundance of bright, motivated students, our institutions lack the resources, global partnerships, and strategic focus to become feeder grounds for global companies or prestigious institutions, limiting the broader impact of education on societal transformation,” he said.
Using Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu’s choice to join the military despite his privileged background as a guiding metaphor, Chidoka argued, “Education is not a ticket to comfort but a foundation for courage and purpose.
Chidoka emphasised that education must instil values, civic responsibility, and the drive to address societal challenges.
