UNICAL : Students rate Akpagu best VC ever

...say he is a role model to young people

Unical VC, Prof. Zana Akpagu

By Godshield Kanjal

Students of the University of Calabar, UNICAL, have rated Prof. Zana Akpagu, Vice Chancellor of the institution as the best ever.

The students who spoke to journalists on Monday, at the campus, described him as a role model that youths in the country should emulate. 

They noted that Prof Akpagu's giant strides in revamping the institutions' learning facilities and fight against corruption, had endeared him into their hearts. 

Miss Alobi, Ashley Owanu, final year student in the Faculty of Law, stressed that the spate of infrastructural development in UNICAL in the past three years is overwhelming, adding that the current learning environment in the University is more enjoyable, compared to the past. 

According to her: "our Vice Chancellorhancellor, Prof Akpagu has done well in the area of building structures, to make learning enjoyable. So the issue of lack of lecture space has been reduced to a very low level. I have no regrets coming to UNICAL to read law, " she said. 

Also, Ruth Alphonsus, 200 level student of Mass Communication and Digital Media, praised the VC for creating the department, which she described as the PR and brand identity of the institution. 

"Coming to UNICAL is a dream come true, because right from secondary school, I had longed to school in UNICAL, today I am here studying my favourite course, Mass Communication, " she said. 

Mass Communication is one of the new departments created by Prof Akpagu in 2017.

Mr. Isong Ekpenyong, 27, student in the Department of Medical Laboratory Science described his five years in UNICAL as impactful.

Ekpenyong who also doubles as President of the Nigerian Medical Laboratory Science Students Association added that the University has molded him educationally and character-wise to face society challenges. 

Miss David Blessing, student in the Department of Business Management said she has spent over five years in UNICAL as a pre-degree students, and had met the past administration, noting that by her rating, Prof. Akpagu has done excellent in upgrading UNICAL from how it use to be. 

"I have been in UNICAL for six years, as a student who started from diploma, and I will say in my own opinion that  Prof. Akpagu is the best VC UNICAL has ever had. 

"He has built lots of infrastructures; from new classrooms and adding a facelift to the entire environment in UNICAL.  In terms of students welfare, he has done well,  too. 

"I had lived in the hostel before I moved to off campus and there is a sharp contrast from how the hostel was and now. Prof Akpagu is my role model," she said.

She however encouraged other youths to emulate the VC when the take up leadership positions in the future. 

On his part, immediate past  President of the Students Union Government of the University and Student in the Department of Marketing, Comrade Eyam Kelvin said with UNICAL's current  global ranking, he is proud to be a student of the institution. 

"I am proud of the University of Calabar. UNICAL is the first institution to introduce anti corruption studies in its curriculum, this came after the University was notorious for corruption, but when Prof. Akpagu came on board, he took up the fight against corruption and the whole system was sanitised. 

"Every first and second year student takes a course called  anti corruption studies. This is, however in line with President Buhari's focus on the fight against corruption. Students of UNICAL are now taught the effects of corruption and it is yielding positive results, even though it is a gradual process 

"We have seen expansion of curriculum since 2015. Today we have departments of Mass Communication, Surveying among others.

"Prof. Akpagu is a role model to young people in the state and I enjoin every young person to emulate him so that we could make Nigeria great, " he said.