FEATURED NEWS
V-C Commends ASUU On New Secretariat Building By Otikor Samuel
- Details
- Published: 22 January 2019
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ndowa Lale, has described the quality of ongoing work at the University of Port Harcourt Branch Secretariat of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as a product of outstanding leadership and cooperation by self-sacrificing members of the Union. Professor Lale made the observation when he led Principal Officers on an unscheduled inspection tour of the building site at Delta Park on Friday, January 11, 2019.
“Let me express gratitude to the leadership of ASUU headed by Dr. Austen Sado for closely supervising and monitoring construction work on this wonderful edifice. We had a false start when the first building that was initiated by the local ASUU Branch collapsed before the decking could be completed. After that sad incident, there was understandable lethargy among members of the Union who frowned at the shoddy job and poor supervision that led to the collapse of the edifice,” the Vice Chancellor recalled.
He expressed happiness at the positive turn of events under the new ASUU leadership under Dr. Sado, commending the leadership for ensuring that the building got to its present level of completion.
“Anybody who enters here would be very impressed with what is on ground and I am optimistic that the National Executive of ASUU will also be impressed with the Secretariat when it is finally completed and put to use,” Professor Lale said.
Conducting the Vice Chancellor and his entourage round the facility, Dr. Sado estimated that the building may have already gulped over N240 million by the time work would be completed on the Secretariat. This amount excludes about N34 million required to furnish the expansive multipurpose auditorium alone which is the showpiece of the complex.
Dr. Sado lauded ASUU members in the University for putting in so much to actualise the dream of constructing a befitting Secretariat building for the Union in the University. “I am overwhelmed by the sacrifice being made by our colleagues in supporting the building. I am confident that once the ongoing strike action is called off, we will be getting ready for the commissioning of the project,” the Branch Chairman assured the Vice Chancellor.
Giving the features of the new Secretariat, the Project Engineer, Mr. Christian Ugochukwu, disclosed that the building has a 800-capacity auditorium, 28 conveniences, gymnasium, therapy/sickbay facility, restaurant, cooperative shop, offices, changing room at the back of the multipurpose hall, green area, drive way, parking area and provision of ramp for physically-challenged persons who may wish to access the complex.
