By NewsBits
History was made when the Promoters and the Planning and Implementation Committee of Peaceland University, Enugu, appointed a world acclaimed philanthropist, great uncommon humanitarian, and Liberator of the destitute, Engr. Prince Arthur Eze OFR (Ozoigbo Ndu), as the pioneer Pro-Chancellor of Peaceland University, Enugu. The appointment and ceremony took place at the Abuja residence of the Business Mogul.
The Peaceland University, Enugu is coming after the establishment of Peaceland College of Education and Peaceland College of Health Sciences and Technology, all in Enugu. The former which is the mother of the Peaceland project was founded and funded by a Swiss mother, lover of education, Frau Pia Meier Knuesel – Mama Pia – who stopped at nothing in donating all her life earnings, including the sale of her only private house in Switzerland; bequeathed all the proceeds to Fredypia Development and Education Foundation, Nigeria, which worked in collaboration with “Alfred und Pia Knuessel Stiftung”, Switzerland, for the construction and establishment of a College of Education, known today as Peaceland College of Education, Enugu.
In the course of her preparations leading to her visit to Nigeria in 2007, there were lots of discouraging and dissenting voices from Mama Pia’s people aimed at stopping her from travelling to Nigeria because of her age (87 years) but especially because of security concerns in Nigeria and lack of immediate access to health care. But Mama Pia was not be stopped. She went on to commit in writing to Swiss authorities that she should be buried in Nigeria in the event of death.
Peaceland College of Education, Enugu came into legal existence in 2014 through the instrumentality of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Abuja, to offer wide range of programmes leading to the award of Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE). The College, in her quest to make quality education available up to degree level to the teeming population of Nigerian youths, sought an affiliation agreement with the Abia State University, Uturu. The affiliation was formally ratified by the National Universities Commission (NUC) to offer degree certificates in Education.
Similarly, through the proceeds from the College of Education (founded and funded by Mama Pia,) Peaceland birthed the Health Education by establishing Peaceland College of Health Sciences and Technology sector: thanks to the College administration, to offer, among others, the following programmes: Community Health Extension Workers; Pharmacy Technicians; Medical Lab Technicians; Environmental Health Workers; Public Health; Epidemiology and Disease Control; and Information and Health Management. All these programmes were licensed in 2022 by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Kaduna. Worthy of note is that our Colleges of Education and Health Sciences and Technology fulfilled Mama Pia’s double desire for education and healthcare for others, herself an educator and a healthcare worker.
In 2019, the Promoters together with the Planning and Implementation Committee of Peaceland University, Enugu, approached the National Universities Commission (NUC) for a possible establishment of a university. The choice of our would-be Pioneer Pro-Chancellor was a fruit of prayer and hard search. For several years, we searched for a man or a woman whose spirit shares with Mama Pia’s spirit that cuts across human race, colour, etc., and whose giving goes beyond the shores of a nation.
Engr. Prince Arthur Eze – a Pillar and Promoter of academic emancipation through quality education, a Philanthropist of the highest order, a consummated Oil Magnate, humanitarian par excellence, global business guru of inter-continental connectivity, became the best choice for this prestigious position. He is indubitably and unarguably one of Nigeria’s foremost philanthropists who has provided, solidly supported and single-handedly undertaken ventures that touch human lives and put smiles on faces of both the high and the low.
His magnanimity and generosity cut across ethnic and religious lines, classes, climes and creeds. There is hardly any area this great man has not beamed his light of benevolence. They include institutions of learning of all levels, rural development and infrastructure, human capital development, women and youth empowerment, church buildings, projects, and programmes executions, etc.
In his usual magnanimity, this simple and humble man of charity, an Apostle and Prince of immense grace, lover of development and progress, practical Christian, and Peace builder, acknowledged his appointment as the Pro-Chancellor of Peaceland University, Enugu and announced his support of the University, with a great sum of Five hundred million (N500,000,000.00) naira.
The Promoters and the Planning and Implementation Committee are ever grateful to the pioneer Pro-Chancellor of Peaceland University, Enugu for the hospitality at his house and for accepting to become the pioneer Pro-Chancellor of Peaceland University, Enugu, and for expressing his solid financial support for our dear nascent University. Our humble prayer is that the Good Lord will continue to guide, protect,
strengthen and bless him as we work with him together to realize and actualize the desires and dreams of our founding Mother.
