By Eze Adiuku
For Professor Ikechukwu N. S. Dozie, leaving Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe University (KOMU) in Ideato was never going to be easy — but it was a departure he made with his head held high.
The pioneer substantive Vice Chancellor of the Imo State-owned institution formally announced his exit during a valedictory press briefing held at the university’s liaison office in Owerri, confirming that his five-year tenure had come to a close following his appointment as the substantive Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO).
“These years have been productive and fulfilling,” Professor Dozie said, reflecting on a tenure he described as defined by purpose and progress. From infrastructure development and academic growth to staff recruitment and institutional expansion, he painted a picture of a university that was built, brick by brick, into something to be proud of.
He explained that his administration, was anchored on one clear mission — laying a solid foundation for the growth, stability, and sustainability of a brand-new institution finding its footing. By his own assessment, that mission was accomplished.
He did not take the journey alone. Professor Dozie expressed heartfelt appreciation to the Imo State Government, the university’s management and academic staff, students, and all stakeholders whose support and cooperation made the work possible. He also expressed strong confidence that KOMU would continue on its upward trajectory and grow into a true centre of academic excellence.
Now, he turns his attention to FUTO, bringing with him the experience and institutional knowledge forged at KOMU. He assured that the same commitment to quality education, research, and innovation that shaped his tenure at the state university would guide his leadership at the federal level.
In the interim, Professor Aloysius Chijoke Onyeka, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, has assumed interim leadership of KOMU, as the institution awaits the appointment of a substantive Vice Chancellor.
Established by the Imo State Government to expand access to quality higher education, Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe University now enters its next chapter — built on the foundation one man spent five years carefully laying.
