'This Is Not an App Fee, It Is an Investment in Your Future,'— Prof. Omenugha Clarifies COOU's ₦15,000 ICT Charge

When misinformation begins to spread about a university's financial decisions, the consequences go beyond inconvenience, they erode trust, fuel resentment, and distort a narrative that deserves to be told accurately. The Vice-Chancellor of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Prof. Kate Azuka Omenugha, chose to address the distortion head-on. The ₦15,000 charge that has generated confusion among students, she clarified unequivocally, is not an application fee. It is a strategic investment in the institution's digital future and in the long-term interests of every student who will ever need to access their academic records.

Prof. Omenugha made this clarification during an interactive session with students held at the ETF Auditorium, Igbariam Campus, on Thursday, April 23, 2026, as part of activities marking the university's 16th Convocation Week. Her remarks were direct and detailed, designed not merely to correct the record but to help students understand the reasoning behind a decision their administration has made on their behalf.

The Vice-Chancellor explained that the levy is dedicated entirely to the development of a robust Information and Communication Technology infrastructure, one that will serve not only current students but alumni and future generations of COOU graduates. The goal is a fully digitised platform through which academic records, transcripts, and services can be accessed seamlessly from anywhere in the world. In an era where a Nigerian graduate may find themselves in Lagos, London, or Los Angeles needing to verify their credentials at short notice, that kind of accessibility is not a luxury, it is a necessity.

She situated the charge within her administration's broader agenda: the transition of the university from an analogue system to a fully digital one, enhancing efficiency, accessibility, and global competitiveness across every aspect of university life. The long-term value of the investment, she emphasised, far exceeds the short-term cost, a cost she acknowledged is real but insists is justified.

Prof. Kate Omenugha also used the moment to address something that clearly weighs on her, the tendency of some students to amplify negative narratives about the institution without first seeking the facts. "When you demarket the university, we demarket ourselves," she stated, a line that is both a caution and a reminder of shared stakes. COOU's reputation belongs to everyone who carries its name. She urged students to align with the university's 3Vs mantra of Values, Viability, and Visibility, and to trust that the decisions being made at the top are made with the institution's and their best interests firmly in mind.

©️COOUNewS, 2026.