GODFREY OKOYE VC URGES SOUTH EAST LEADERS TO RESTORE EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE
At a press briefing marking his Silver Jubilee as a Catholic priest, the Vice Chancellor of Godfrey Okoye University Enugu, Very Rev. Fr. Prof. Christian Anieke made a passionate appeal to leaders in the South East to revive the region’s legacy of excellence in education.
Fr. Prof. Anieke noted that the university’s management remains focused on making GOUNI a reference point in higher education, not necessarily the first, but a model that other institutions aspire to emulate. He stressed that true academic excellence lies not just in ranking but in serious intellectual engagement, discipline, and a culture of order and beauty.
He highlighted the strategic establishment of the university’s nursery, primary, and secondary schools as foundational feeders to the university, emphasizing that institutions of learning should care about more than certificates, they should care about the future of their graduates.
“The fact that most of our graduates are getting jobs shows we are doing something right,” he remarked. “Tertiary institutions must not only collect money and send students off with certificates. These graduates carry the image of their alma mater into the world.”
On the university’s College of Medicine and Teaching Hospital, he explained that they were designed with community service in mind, bringing both academic and medical value to society.
He commended Governor Peter Mbah for the initiative of smart schools in Enugu State and called on other South East governments to invest more in the education sector and restore the zone’s pride in learning.
Reflecting on his own journey, Fr. Prof. Anieke said, “I am God’s statement to the world.” He attributed his success to hard work and prayers.
In a moving vote of thanks, the university’s Director of Communications, Rev. Fr. Benjamin Achi described the Silver Jubilee as a celebration of divine abundance and thanked the media and university community for being part of the celebration.
