ESUT College of Medicine Honours Eight Staff For Excellence in Service
By Amaechi Agbo
Enugu – The ESUT College of Medicine, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) has honoured eight staff for their outstanding services to the College during the 2024/2025 academic year.
The staff were honoured on Tuesday during the 2nd edition of the ESUT College of Medicine Annual Staff Merit Award Ceremony held at the College’s Auditorium Parklane, Enugu.
Among the award recipients were: Dr. Obiora Abonyi, Best Lecturer, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences; Prof.Samuel Ghasi, Best Lecturer, Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences; Dr. Chuma Onyejizu, Best Lecturer, Faculty of Clinical Medicine: Dr. Chinwe Chigbo, Best Performing Non Teaching Staff and Mrs Bridget Nwogba, Best Performing Casual Staff.
Others were honoured as the ESUT College of Medicine ESUCOM top Three Globally Visible Researchers. They are: Prof. Ikenna Ndu, Prof. Uchenna Ekwochi and Associate Prof. Awoere Chinawa.
Speaking during the Award Ceremony, Chairman of the Occasion, Dr Chinedu Onu commended the institution of the Award by the College Management Board which emphasis the importance of hard work and reward therefrom.
Dr Onu averred that the Merit Award recognises value addition to the College and humanity and charged the awardees not to relent on their achievement but to put in more commitment in their services.
“What are you impact to the College? Are you using your position to victimise students and those placed under you or to mentor and make them grow? The reward for good work is more work. Last year there were pioneer awardees, today we have new ones. Next year, we will also have new ones and it could be any of you here,” he said.
Dr Onu who is a member in ESUT Governing Council promised to present Mrs Bridget Nwogba, Best Performing Casual Staff to the Council with a view to converting her to a permanent staff
On his part, Provost of the College, Professor Uche Ekwochi in his remark said the essence of the Annual Staff Merit Award is to promote excellence, commitment and professionalism in the workforce of the College.
He congratulated the winners and thanked the Governor of the state, ESUT Governing Council, College Board, staff and students for their support and called on private and public companies and individuals to partner with the College in order to reposition it.
“This is the second edition of the ESUCOM Annual Staff Merit Award and while we had five persons in our maiden edition, this year’s ceremony has an addition of three other awards. The Committee saw the need to recognise those who have been promoting the University ranking through their publications on platforms such as Google Scholar and Researchgate.
“Therefore, let me congratulate the eight recipients of the award this year. The essence of this award, which by the special grace of God has come to stay and will be celebrated annually, is to promote greater commitment to work, enhance professionalism, enthrone probity and celebrate excellence.
“This award and everything we have done in the College would not have been achieved without the maximum support of the Governor of our dear state, Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah who always listens to every memo or proposal we submitted to him. There has never been a request we made that didn’t receive positive response from him. Also to the University Governing Council, the Management, ESUCOM Board, staff and students of the College, I remain indebted in gratitude.
“I want to also use this medium to call on well-meaning individuals, corporate organisations to partner with the College to help us achieve our targeted goal of repositioning the College to make it be at par with other Colleges globally,” he said.
While delivering the Award Lecture on the topic, “Promoting Excellence in Service Delivery and Research: The Engine Room of a Thriving Medical College,” the Director of ESUT Open Distance Learning (ODL), Associate Professor Okwuchikwu Ani emphasized the importance of mentorship and urged the staff to see their positions as opportunity to serve and develop humanity.
“You mentor people not to become like you but to be better than you. If you are not different, you cannot make a difference and that is why you must choose not to go the path everybody is going. Today, these awardees are recognised for making a difference. Let us continuously have it at the back of our mind that our positions as staff are opportunities to serve, to make impact,” he stated.
Speaking on behalf of other awardees, the Best Lecturer in the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Dr. Abonyi Obiora appreciated the management for the award and thanked the staff and student for their support
“On behalf of my fellow awardees, I want to thank the Provost of the Professor Uchenna Ekwochi, for thinking ahead and setting this pace. As we’re meant to know, this is the only college/faculty that does this kind of award in the whole of ESUT. May God bless him and may he keep it up. It’s a way of encouraging hard work and rewarding excellence. Let the management keep it up,” he said
Highlights of the 2nd Annual Merit Award of the ESUT College of Medicine 2025, were presentation of plaques, cash and certificates to the recipients as well as group photographs.
