Abia State Government says it has concluded plans for the relocation of the Umuahia campus of the Law faculty of the Abia State University back to the main campus in Uturu at the end of the current session in June.
The State Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu who disclosed this while briefing journalists on the outcome of this week’s Executive Council Meeting presided over Governor Alex Otti, attributed the delay in moving back the campus to logistics reasons, National Universities Commission accreditation among other things which are almost sorted out.
He noted that the University currently admitted about six thousand, forty-two fresh students in the current academic session which is about forty-eight percent increase over last year’s figure of four thousand, one hundred and ninety-six students.
Prince Kanu said the compulsory free education policy of the state government is fully operational, adding that primary school pupils up to students in JSS3 are not to pay any form of levy as Heads of schools are being provided with monthly impress to run their schools, urging parents and guardians to report any form of levy imposed on their wards to the appropriate quarters.
On waste management, the Commissioner noted that the state government through ASEPA has achieved a lot in that regard in Umuahia, Aba and Ohafia, pointing out that ASEPA is now focusing on modern collection of waste at homes and business premises, markets among other places.
The Information boss maintained that the Agency is at the verge of implementing its new tariffs and rates across the state, calling on the public to assist government in monitoring government assets by also monitoring the activities of scrap dealers who tamper with ASEPA buckets.
He also used the forum to appeal to members of the public to monitor and report to the Harmonized Taskforce and other law enforcement agencies, criminals and syndicates who go around defrauding unsuspecting members of the public in the name of ASEPA.
Prince Kanu equally noted that the date for the Computer Based Test, CBT for the ongoing teachers recruitment exercise would now hold on the 6th and 7th of this month instead of the 5th and 6th earlier announced.
On roads, the Commissioner said a total of twenty-eight road projects are ongoing with over forty direct labour reconstruction and maintenance works being done across the state.
Contributing, the commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education Elder Goodluck Ubochi said that the shift in the date for the CBT exams was to enable government fix some challenges noticed with regards to locating CBT centres across the state, adding that the exams would hold in two centres per senatorial zone.
Answering questions from newsmen, the General Manager Abia State Environmental Protection Agency ASEPA, Mr Ogbonnia Okereke said ASEPA and Ministry of Environment are working together to deliver on government mandate of keeping Abia environment clean and healthy.
He said the state government in partnership with An NGO, the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance which was floated by thirty-three biggest consumer companies are in the process of completing the plastic recycling plant for the state at the ASEPA office in Aba which will start operation this week with it’s planned commissioning on the 18th of this month with another recycling plant to be set up along the Express Way in Aba supported by the Federal ministry of Environment
The State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Prof. Uche Eme Uche and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma were part of the briefing.
