Catholics
have been called upon to become part owners of the Veritas University
of Nigeria, Abuja (VUNA) by contributing at least N500 each.
Speaking
at the N2 billion Fund Raising Dinner for the university at the
Sheraton Towers Hotel, Abuja, its Chancellor, Archbishop John Olorunfemi
Onaiyekan, said if each Catholic contributed just N500 each, the church
would raise about N15 billion for the university.
Outlining
the challenges and opportunities of the university project, Onaiyekan
noted that all Catholics are stakeholders, contrary to the belief of
some that it is the project of the bishops.
He
said: "We have had great challenges in ensuring full ownership of our
project by all the presumed stakeholders namely the Nigerian Catholics
as a whole. We have witnessed divided interests and dissipated energies
as dioceses and religious institutes of the same Nigerian Church have
embarked also on similar, certainly laudable competing projects."
Noting
that the Nigerian Church is big enough to have more than one Catholic
University, Archbishop Onaiyekan stressed: "We need to seriously make up
our minds on this. One thing is certain; the project of the Catholic
University of Nigeria has reached a point of crisis which must be
resolved in a positive way. That is what has brought us together here."
With
400 students, the Archbishop said fees they pay can only cover a
fraction of the total cost of maintenance. As such, he noted that the
internally generated income can be used just for the running expenses,
while the university needs regular infusion of funds to the tune of N15
million every month.
Despite
difficulties encountered since its inception in 2002, the Archbishop
said the programmes of the university are fully accredited.
He
praised the members of the Catholic Bishops Conference for keeping the
university dream alive by providing the money for the running of the
institution and the staff for their sacrifices and perseverance.
Admitting
that increasing enrolment to a minimum of 2,000 students would help the
university break even, he said to admit such number, adequate
structures including hostel accommodation, academic and administrative
buildings, furnishing and equipment must be in place, which would
require the university to move to its permanent site in Bwari.
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