By Amaechi Agbo, Agbani

Recently, the Vice-Chancellor, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, Professor Aloysius-Michaels Okolie stated that funding of the universities in the country should not be left for the governments alone. He stated this while assessing the impact of the current challenging economy in the country on the university.

Prof Okalie opined that universities should diversify their revenue bases in order to meet up with their day-to-day financial obligations particularly salary payments and infrastructural development.

 In ESUT, the Ventures Committee is one sector in charge of internal revenue generation for the university, a statutory responsibility this committee has overseen many years.

The Ventures Committee, superintended by Chief Comrade Ogbodo Charles, has been one of the engine rooms in supplying ESUT its financial livewire for sustenance.

In this exclusive interview with Comrade Ogbodo, he shares with us, his achievements and challenges. He explained modalities on how to get a shop at the University Park, issue of indiscriminate hawkers in the university and expressed assurance that the management is working on rehabilitating the Engr. Arthur Eze road leading to the University Park.

Activities of ESUT venture

My journey with ESUT Ventures began in January 2021 when I was appointed as secretary by the then acting Vic-Chancellor, Professor Charles Eze.

On September 20th, 2022, I was appointed as chairman of ventures by current Vice-Chancellor, Professor Aloysius-Michaels Okolie to superintend over the activities of ESUT Ventures.

We have a committee which organizes the venture to recover debt from our tenants inside the ESUT Park and to advise the university on other ways that will bring ESUT Ventures to status of a directorate. We also, very importantly, generate revenue for the university

Ventures in the university

When you hear ventures, the name speaks for itself, venture is just business. We have various categories of ventures in ESUT – we have traders, those that are on cyber businesses, provision; we have the tricycles, (keke riders), motorcycle riders (okada) we have the shuttle (buses) and we have the taxi.

Shuttles in ESUT

Yes, we have different segments of shuttles plying our route everyday either bringing in or taking staff and students out of the university. We have buses, tricycles, motorcycles and taxis.

Currently we have 60 buses, 80 motorcyclist (okada), 100 tricycle riders and 40 taxies. They are all registered and numbered. 

Getting a shop at the Park

 If you need a shop at the park, you will fill a form, the committee will give you space allocation, you develop it or bring put a container. Thereafter, you pay a rent of ₦1,000 per month to ESUT Ventures account. Our job is demanding, is energy sapping job because a lot of things are involved in cause of executing and carrying out the job because you get insult, intimidation from people who should do better. Like I said earlier, the rent is ₦1, 000, it is not something to write home about, unfortunately, to collect the rent is a big challenge. But we are equal to the task, we work assiduously to generate revenue for the university which is the cardinal objective.   

Indiscriminate hawkers in the university

We are not unaware of the hawkers in the university. If you look round within the school premises, there are indiscriminate hawkers, if you go to the faculty, they are there. When you go to the park, where all of them are asked to go and settle down, you will not see them

That is what we are battling now, because we know in the past those at the faculties were asked move to the park but human beings being what they are, they resisted. Even when my team comes down to the faculties and pursue them, you will see them back the next minute. You will meet somebody selling nuts, or meat pie going round and when you tell that person to go back and settle at the park where they should be, the person will say ‘oga I will not’ Even when you succeed in pushing that person down inside the park that particular day, the next morning you will see him or her there again. That is the challenges we are having but we are hopeful they will settle down at the park soon.

Debt recovery

Debt recovering is very difficult but we combine carrot and stick approach. What we do first is to give them carrot approach because when you want to recover debt, you have to dialogue, plead. At a time, we deploy the stick because when the carrot approach is insufficient, you blend it with another approach which is stick and it is going well.

Reconstruction of road

Yes, there is plan because the venture committee is not sleeping. The management is aware of the bad road leading to the park. I have had meetings with the stakeholders at the park regarding the state of the road, I led a delegation to the vice-chancellor and he gave us a listening ear.

Recently he gave us a bus to help us be responsive to our duties.

The vice-chancellor have the road in mind and he has even told us that he has reached out to attract help. Do not forget that the road has been named after a philanthropist, Chief Arthur Eze. That tells you that our VC is making every effort, but we have to be patient because in no distance time, that road will be fixed.

Challenges

Obviously, it has not been easy but we are equal to the task. We receive insults from those that are at the park because of trying to recover debts, even in the course of trying to let them pay the ₦1,000 naira a month they will insult you and call you names and they will use all manner of tactics to evade the payment. But at the end of the day, they will pay it or we get them evicted from the park.

Security at the park

The university security patrols the park but recently, there was incident and complaints came to me. I asked the traders and transport unions to form groups and make provision for security.  They were advised to have such to complement ESUT’s security. They put that into action and engaged security men to man the area. Security is everybody’s business and I am happy they have understood the need.