By Michael Nnebife
The Chairman, Board of Directors, Keystone Bank PLC, Lady Ada Chukwudozie, has announced plans to empower indigent students of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, for economic self-reliance during and after studies.
The Chairman disclosed this while speaking with newsmen shortly after receiving an honorary award as a Doctor of Business Administration, from the University on Saturday 24 May.
According to her, the economic empowerment would focus on an integrated strategy of simple Mechanized Agriculture, ranging from Crop Farming, Animal Husbandry, to Agriculture Engineering that would make the benefiting students economically self-reliant.
Lady Chukwudozie, who doubles as the Chairman, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, South East Region, said this initiative was informed by the legacies of the late Sir Louis Ojukwu and a Governor of the default South Eastern Region, Michael Okpara.
Chukwudozie, who said she had been reading about the great Igbo icons and their contributions to the development of the region, commended them, saying the honour conferred on her by Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University was to remember them and their legacies.
‘I promise the University that I’m going to leave a legacy project behind. This legacy project is one that I have been nursing in my heart, reminiscing on what Sir Louis did decades ago in conjunction with M. I. Okpara,’ she said.
According to her, the intention of the project was for a university-industry partnership for sustainable development.
‘This is anchoring on income generating project that is geared towards Agriculture and Human Capital Development.
‘We want to introduce simple farming machines and tools that bring in high yield seedlings that will enable us to grow crops in a high volume.
‘So, we’re looking at partnering with this University to do crop production, focusing on agrono peppers for export and local consumption.
‘We’re looking at empowering the indigent students for life. We’ll expose them to what I call living engine of empowerment; that’s why we want to go into Animal Husbandry, focusing on pig farming.
‘We’ll start from 50 indigent students by giving them pig pens and two or three high breeding pregnant pigs in a pen,’ the Keystone Bank Chief said, and assured that her team would also manage the farms for the students.
‘By next year, they should be able to be paying their school fees, taking care of themselves, and before they leave the University, they’ll have nothing to worry about how to start up in life,’ she added.
‘The University also asked me to do something on career and talent development, and I told them that what I want to do is an innovation hub,’ she continued.
‘This innovation hub, is like: now, we want to enter into Mechanized Agriculture, we’ll be bringing in simple Agriculture machines from China.
‘These machines will form parts of areas the students will need training on; that’s servicing and recoupling of the machines.
‘So, we’ll also equip that innovation hub with engineering tools that will enable the students to fabricate these machines here, in this University.
‘And by so doing, they’ll be able to provide local solutions to local challenges that we’re having here,’ Chukwudozie said.
She further told newsmen that she was also looking at logistics, which, she said, was bringing in some EV (electric vehicle) mini-buses for the students.
‘This will also form part of what will help to engender skill acquisition, because we want to see them decoupling and recoupling those mini-buses, and be able to fabricate them and only import the batteries,’ the Keystone Bank boss noted.
She also pointed out that she was looking forward to collaboration with other organized private sector groups to actualize the objective of the initiatives.
Chukwudozie expressed delight to be privileged, being connected to the late Sir Ojukwu, his son, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, and Michael Okpara through Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University.
She described her award as a call to continue in the path the late Igbo icons toed.
‘I’m very, very grateful to the University indeed, for recognizing my work, no matter how modest they are.
‘It’s not an easy feat to be singled out for this great honour; so, I’m very, very grateful,’ she said.
Some associates and prominent personalities took turns to commend and congratulate Chukwudozie. Among them, was Eze Ndi Igbo na Japan, Igwe Chris Umeh, who said Chukwudozie’s achievements, from childhood, had been on upward projection, and prayed God to continue to guide and bless her.
