NIS Seeks Strategic Partnership with COOU, Pushes for Surveying Department

By Our Reporter

A major boost for professional education may be on the horizon as the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS), Anambra State Chapter, has called on Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) to establish a Department of Surveying while deepening collaboration aimed at advancing academic excellence and workforce development.

The proposal was tabled on Thursday during a courtesy visit by the NIS delegation to the Vice-Chancellor of COOU, Prof. Kate Azuka Omenugha, at the Vice-Chancellor’s Conference Room, Igbariam Campus. The visit also afforded the professional body the opportunity to congratulate Prof. Omenugha on her appointment as the University’s fifth substantive Vice-Chancellor.

The meeting was attended by key members of the University’s management, including the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration and Environmental Sustainability), Prof. Anselem Nweke; Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Prof. Obiora Ejiofor; Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Uli Campus and Development Affairs), Prof. Sylvia Okonkwo; and the Acting University Librarian, Dr. Uche Enweani.

Leading the delegation, the Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors, Anambra State Chapter, Surv. Chief Gabby Okeke, described the visit as the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship between the institution and the University.

“We are eager to partner with COOU in ways that will strengthen professional education and capacity development,” Okeke said. “One of our major aspirations is to see the establishment of a Department of Surveying in the University. We believe your administration has the vision and leadership to make this a reality.”

He commended Prof. Omenugha for her warm reception and presented gifts to the Vice-Chancellor on behalf of the Institution as a symbol of goodwill and appreciation.

Responding, Prof. Omenugha expressed gratitude to the delegation for the visit and congratulatory gesture, reaffirming her administration’s commitment to building strategic partnerships that enhance the University’s academic profile.

“Our administration remains committed to the principles of Values, Viability and Visibility—the 3Vs—which continue to guide our vision for the Now University and the University of the Future,” she stated.

Addressing the proposal for a Department of Surveying, the Vice-Chancellor urged the Institution to submit a detailed proposal that would initiate the University’s internal approval process.

“Prepare a comprehensive proposal that will enable us to engage the University’s Senate and other relevant authorities. That will provide the institutional framework required to advance the establishment of the department,” she said.

Prof. Omenugha also praised the commitment of the University’s management team, particularly acknowledging the contributions of the Public Relations Officer, Dr. Harrison Madubueze, alongside other principal officers whom she described as a formidable team driving the University’s ongoing transformation.

She assured the delegation of COOU’s readiness to embrace partnerships capable of expanding academic programmes, strengthening professional education, and contributing to national development.

The visit ended on an optimistic note as both parties pledged sustained collaboration to promote academic innovation, institutional growth, and professional excellence. A group photograph concluded the engagement, symbolising what both sides described as the beginning of a productive partnership between COOU and the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors.