FUTO Students Take Environmental Action to Eziobodo, Eziokele Communities

The Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) has taken its environmental sustainability and host-community engagement efforts to Eziobodo and Eziokele communities with the maiden edition of FUTO Students' Community Volunteer Outreach (FUTO-SERVE).

The outreach, held on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, with the theme, “Clean Host Community, Green Future: FUTO Students Taking Action Against Plastic Waste,” brought together FUTO students, University officials, and members of the host communities for environmental sanitation, plastic waste collection, and community sensitisation.

Led by the Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Uche Chukwuocha, the students moved through major streets in the communities, including Eziobodo market and its environs, collecting plastic waste and other refuse as part of the environmental action.

Speaking during the exercise, Prof. Chukwuocha said FUTO-SERVE was conceived to provide students with opportunities to contribute directly to the well-being of communities within the University's immediate environment while promoting responsible citizenship.

He said the initiative aligns with the vision of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. I.N.S. Dozie, to strengthen relations between FUTO and its host communities. The Dean noted that beyond environmental sanitation, the outreach was intended to encourage greater awareness of responsible waste management and the importance of maintaining a clean environment.

The exercise received a warm reception from the communities. Youth Leader of Eziobodo Community, Ezinwa Steve Offor, commended the students for their turnout and participation, describing the initiative as a welcome development. “The community appreciates this gesture. We are confident that initiatives like this will improve the relationship between the community and the University”, Offor said.

Similarly, the Youth President of Eziokele Autonomous Community, Elder Tochukwu Vincent Akuta, expressed delight at the exercise, describing it as the kind of engagement the community had hoped to see from FUTO. According to him, the exercise was “the first of its kind in the community since the University moved from its former location at Lake Nwaebere to its present site”.

He said the initiative demonstrated a growing sense of shared responsibility between the University and its host communities, and expressed the hope that such engagements would be sustained.

The FUTO Community Liaison Officer, Pharm. Chidiebere Ajoku, who also participated in the exercise, stated that the outreach reflected the commitment of the Dozie administration to building stronger relationships with the University's host communities. He called on the communities to continue supporting the University's initiatives, and assured them of FUTO's commitment to mutually beneficial engagement.

For the participating students, the exercise provided an opportunity to put into practice the values of responsible citizenship and community service, while working alongside residents to address a shared environmental concern.

The maiden FUTO-SERVE outreach marks the beginning of what is expected to become a sustained student-led community engagement programme through which FUTO students will contribute their time, energy, and skills to practical challenges within the University's host communities.