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 2^nd 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 2^nd 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.

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By Amaechi Agbo

Enugu – Five Staff of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT College of Medicine were on Monday honoured by the management of the college.

Among the recipients of the awards is the Former Provost of the College, Professor Frank Ezugwu, a Casual worker, Mrs Ijeoma Helen Ugwu.

Others are: Prof. Samuel Ghasi, Prof. Joy Ebele Ikekpeazu and Mrs Philomina Chinwe Ogbodo.

The five staff were honoured by the management for their distinguished performance to the College in the 2023/2024 academic session.

The awards are: the Best Lecturer in Faculty of Clinical Medicine went to former Provost, Prof. Frank Okechukwu Ezugwu; Best Lecturer in Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences, Prof. Samuel Ghasi; Best Lecturer in Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Prof. Joy Ebele Ikekpeazu; Best Performing Non-Teaching Staff in ESUCOM, Mrs Philomina Chinwe Ogbodo and the Best Performing Casual Staff in ESUCOM, Mrs Ijeoma Ugwu.

The ceremony, which got underway a little behind schedule at the College Auditorium, saw key individuals making speeches. First was the Provost of the College, Professor Uchenna Ekwochi who addressed the need for the merit award and how the five awardees were selected.

“The award is ESUCOM management’s way of saying thank you for the excellence service you have rendered to ESUCOM. It is also our way of telling the world hoe much premium we placed in quality service. The award will serve as a stimulant to other staff to strive for excellence,” he said.

Shortly after him was the Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ossai who delivered his speech through the Commissioner for Health, Professor Emmanuel Obi, stating the state government’s support to ESUT and improved education in the state.

In His speech, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Aloysius-Michaels Okolie lauded the management of the College for the initiation and promised support.

While congratulating the awardees on their achievements, he charged them not to relent and urged those not considered for the maiden award to improve on their commitment and work ethics.

Adding “At the end of the day, the intent of the ESUCOM Annual Merit Award is to promote work ethics and excellence among the staff. This is the guiding principle of the University management and we will support you in this regard,” the VC said.

The awardees who spoke to EUST Monitor variously in interviews, expressed gratitude to the management for the honour and expressed determination to do more.

“This is an honour and achievement I dedicate to Mother of Perpetual Help and to the management of ESUCOM and our university. The reward for good work is more work, I will not relent,” Prof Ezugwu said

On her part, Mrs Ijeoma Ugwu gave God all the glory for her great day and dedicated her award to her family, bosses and the management of the board.

In her words “Ọ di m kam nọ na nro (It’s as if I am in dream)” she said

Highlights of the Award ceremony were presentation of plaques, certificates and a token of N100, 000 to the awardees as well as group pictures with the management and staff of ESUCOM.

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Perhaps, when getting up from bed on Monday, December 16, 2024, Mrs Ijeoma Helen Ugwu’s expectation was to attend the Maiden ESUT College of Medicine Annual Merit Award, as a an awardee, collect “whatever the management got to offer” and retire home for the day.

Little did she know that God and destiny has a date for her as she attended the award ceremony as a casual worker but left as a Permanent Staff!

Delivering his speech the Pro Chancellor and Chairman, ESUT Governing Council, Chief Chinyeaka Ohaa, who flew into the state from Abuja for the ceremony, described the award ceremony as the nerve of the university in attaining its set targets of academic excellence and staff welfare.

He recounted that the award ceremony was dear to him and that he wouldn’t have been absent from it. While appreciating the management of the College for the innovation, Chief Ohaa further made two declarations;

“The management has already announced that the awardees would receive a token of N50, 000 each. Let me also add that the Board will add N50, 000 to make it N100, 000. That means each of the recipients will receive N100, 000.

“I am delighted in the calibre of the nominees for the award because I have known some of them. Prof Ezugwu has been a friend and brother, likewise others.

“However, the height of my happiness is that a casual staff is among the nominees. I have been in the system and know that to be a casual staff is not easy. The stipends you are paid don’t take you anywhere.

“To our sister and mother, Helen Ugwu, Thank you for all you are doing. This shows that you treasure and value your position as a casual staff. However, I want to assure you that from today, you are no more a casual work, you are now a permanent staff. If you can emerge as the best in your current “casual position” how much more when you become a permanent staff. You deserve it, and congratulations,” the Pro Chancellor said.

Mrs Ijeoma Helen Ugwu’s Profile

Mrs Helen Ugwu, one hails from Ee-Obara in Nsukka Local Government Area.

She had her primary and secondary education at Community Primary School Odo-Akpu, Onitsha and Pinnacle Comprehensive Secondary School Transekulu, Enugu State.

She joined ESUCOM in 2015 as a casual worker, a cleaner deployed to the hostels, with her exceptional diligence and dedication to service, always willing to give in her best to keeping her place of assignment very clean. Even when her supervisor calls her out for duties away from her duty point, she patiently, without complains and murmuring do it perfectly and reverts to the supervisor.

She is always willing to assist her colleagues through the job and with a sound relationship with them all

Mrs Helen Ugwu is happily married to Mr Elias Ugwu, with 5 children

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