Revealed! Abia private varsity where the proprietor is one of its lecturers

The Proprietor and Chancellor of Gregory University, Uturu (GUU), Abia State, Dr. Gregory Ibe, may have, unwittingly, made history in the education sector as an owner of tertiary institute, who despite his position, goes to lecture hall to teach his students. Investigation reveals that he has been teaching students entrepreneurship studies since the inception of GUU in 2012. Education Review learnt that the first set of students he taught, were shocked to see him in the classroom. But they soon got over it when with time they continued to see him in the lecture hall.
In a chat with newsmen, Dr. Ibe made a passionate appeal to managers of the nation’s tertiary institutes to inculcate entrepreneurship studies in their curriculum and to ensure that their students are made to take serious skill acquisition courses that could alter their lives after graduation.
Dr. Ibe who through his firm, Skill-G, equipped our country’s 102 Unity Colleges, colleges of education, some polytechnics and, of lately the universities, with science laboratory equipment is the chancellor of the only private university in Abia State. A former lecturer at Abia State University, he strongly believes that the impact of entrepreneurship studies cannot be ignored.
According to him, the missing links in both the public and private universities is the non-exposure of their students to entrepreneurship education: “You can imagine in this 21st century that our students are not exposed to entrepreneurship studies to acquire different skills,” he lamented. “Here at GUU, we are producing scholars with entrepreneurship skills and they can decide after graduation to set up their own businesses rather than wait for white collar jobs. Our tertiary institutes need to embrace entrepreneurship education by exposing their students to different skills acquisition. It is a very important course that will assist students greatly. The government should direct managers of educational institutes yet to embrace entrepreneurship studies to do so now.’’
Ibe revealed that because of the seriousness attached to entrepreneurship studies at GUU, each faculty in the university is well equipped with necessary facilities to help the students. “Aside the faculties, we have set up separate centre to promote the acquisition of entrepreneurship skills,” he added.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Charles Okoroafor, explained that staffs are working hard to achieve the vision and mission of GUU as envisaged by the founder, which includes the production of highly qualified manpower for Nigerian economy. The VC also revealed why at GUU students are called “scholars.’’ This is because they are expected to engage in learning and research unlike what obtains in other tertiary institutes, he said.
On tuition, Prof. Okoroafor said parents are allowed to pay in three instalments, stating that aside the Chancellor funding, the university runs an enterprise ventures as means of internally generated revenue. The Registrar of GUU, Dr. Augustine Orisakwe, told Education Review that the university is built on solid foundation.  He revealed that the advantage GUU has over other tertiary education institutes are in the areas of facilities, dedicated staff and students as well as a supportive proprietor who he said is willing to go the extra miles to make things happen.
The Dean of Scholars/Head of Public Relations and Media, Mr. Ogbonnaya Ogwo, told Education Review that GUU is grooming the students into finished products backed up with entrepreneurship skills acquisition, so that they can stand on their own, or that firms would not think twice on signing on, if they eventually decide to get a paid job.
By Gabriel Dike