The Enugu State Commissioner for Water Resources, Honourable (Dr) Felix Nnamani, in an exclusive interview with ESUT Monitor, disclosed that he graduated with a Third-class degree from the Department of Political Science, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT in 1996.

He made this disclosure while recounting his days of humble beginnings saying “I graduated from Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Department of Political Science in 1996 with Third-class Honours,” but didn’t stop at that level as the desire to acquire more knowledge to impact the society continued to push him in the ladder of his academic excellence.

“I didn’t stop there, I had to go to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where I obtained Postgraduate Diploma in Public Administration and Local Government. It gave me the leverage now to get admission and go for Masters Degree.”

However, he highlighted some challenges he faced as an undergraduate that led to his graduation with third-class, decrying the hostile environment in which they were made to learn.

“We were the first to be admitted into the Faculty of Social Sciences, I went through pre-science programme in Abakaliki then ASUTECH (Anambra State University of Technology), at the point of getting admission in 1991, we were moved to Adada Campus in Nsukka. Adada Campus was not a joke, it was not an easy place. We were bathing in the stream, snakes were biting people, you couldn’t even concentrate, the few lecturers that were coming made enormous sacrifices coming from Enugu in a school bus to come and teach us on daily basis. We did that for almost three years before the then Military administration closed the campus and we came back to Enugu.” He said.

Asked if his grade is a true reflection of his intellectual ability, Honourable Nnamani responded in the negative stressing that his set then should not be judged by their academic performance because they lacked the basic facilities for a conducive learning environment coupled with their relocation to Enugu which brought them into a different situation entirely.  

“No, coming back to Enugu, it was difficult for us to integrate because we were looking different, the suffering and experience we got there is only God that knows. We were not supposed to be judged by our academic performances there because the facilities for you to really excel and pursue your goal were not there.

“And it’s not like we’re coming from a family where the resources are available. I came from one of the poorest villages in the state. I’m from Ugwuomu, it is one of the remotest villages in Enugu State. We trekked 15 kilometers from Ugwuomu to be able to go to St. Patrick in Emene to get secondary education. I remember going to farm with my mother to uproot cassava, go to Orie Emene and sell it before you can get money to go to school. I remember washing cars at the airport corner in order to get money to get to campus. A lot of factors contributed and God helped us to surmount, but that didn’t shift our focus to becoming who we are today.”

He also stressed that his resilience and commitment to his goals is what helped him surmount all the challenges life threw at him.

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The Enugu State Commissioner for Water Resources, Felix Nnamani has promised to provide water to the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) as part of the 2024 budget.

Honourable Nnamani who stated this in an exclusive interview with ESUT Monitor stressed the commitment of the State Government to achieve the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) number six goal through availability of water to the University community and the people of Agbani.

“Our intention is that we’re going to, as already captured in our budget for next year 2024, that we will refurbish all the water facilities across all the 476 communities in Enugu State. So if that project is revitalized, it will serve conveniently.

“We will also engage our geologists to come to the campus and check the volume of water we can get there, we can sink boreholes in the campus in favor of my alma mater,. We’ll do that, there is nothing we can do to make lives better for our young people that we would not do, it’s our ambition, what’s the essence of being here if my alma mater doesn’t have water” he said.

However, he maintained that ESUT is in Agbani, which is a semi-urban area and therefore, it is the responsibility of the Enugu State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (EN-RUWASSA) to provide water for Agbani and the entire 476 communities in Enugu State, as captured in the 2024 budget.

He also lamented the poor maintenance culture of Enugu people and enjoined Ndị Enugu to see government facilities as their own.

“There is a government water facility that is sited in Amodu, that water facility is supposed to serve the whole of Agbani but it is totally vandalized, overtaken by the weeds. During inspection, we were able to take inventory of that, and that’s why we’re doing sensitization. The era that government provides facilities and people ignore it has passed. What we’re asking our people is to own every project that is sited within their domain, if you own it, you protect it. If it spoils to a level that you cannot maintain it, you report back to us so we can bring in expertise that will help and do it”. He maintained.

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