Delta State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan has said private Universities are playing vital roles in providing learning facilities for Nigerian youths.
The Governor spoke through his Special Assistant on Entertainment, Hon. Berkley Asiafa at the public presentation of Novena Vista, a quarterly magazine of Novena University, Ogume, Delta State. The event took place at the Amai Campus of the University.
Dr Uduaghan observed that private Universities have provided succour for Nigerian youths who would have travelled out of the country for studies as a result of lack of space in government-run universities and challenged the institutions to ensure good academic excellence and character in their students.
He commended Novena University for having an informative and educative magazine, noting that the magazine is of high quality.
The Chairman of Council and Pro-Chancellor of the University, Dr Chuks Ochonogor expressed hope that the magazine “will showcase our academic prowess and most importantly, consolidate our mission which is ‘to be a dynamic institution that will promote academic discipline and resourcefulness in the production of globally competitive graduates.”
“It has always been our desire to make Novena University an optimal institution for students’career development because we do note that learning goes beyond classroom works and for these students are encouraged to have freedom and motivation to think, design, research, execute and present issues as reasonably as possible while also performing excellently in classroom activities,” Dr Ochonogor said, adding, “I will always support an approach that will make every member of this community responsible for his or her actions provided such actions serve the collective interest of this community.”
The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Chris Okorafor said, “the launching of this official magazine, offers a brief and symbolic history of Novena University’s June, 2005 Federal certification and its follow-up academic, administrative, physical infrastructural and societal developments.”
Editor of the magazine, Mr Emmanuel Odishika said, “Novena Vista is Nigeria’s foremost ‘edutainment’ magazine, published in the finest tradition of modern day journalistic practice, it is a perfect blend of stories that are carefully selected to reflect the verve and vigour of university life; the gains and challenges of the host community as well as the Novena dream of an ideal Nigeria,” while the Prof. Albert Osakwe who reviewed the magazine and others who spoke at the occasion described it as a compilation of educative works for both the students, the staff of the institution and the general public.
