By Prof. Qrisstuberg Amua,
In 2016, a young Namibian student, Simon Petrus, stunned the world with an invention that redefined what was thought possible. With no access to corporate labs or elite funding, Petrus – armed with only his imagination, used and discarded electronics, and an unyielding determination – created a phone that made calls without a SIM card or airtime, using radio frequencies. His device, ingeniously cobbled from old televisions and mobile phone parts, also doubled as a radio, TV, fan, and power source. This singular act of brilliance won him national acclaim, not because he had the finest tools, but because he dared to dream beyond his circumstances.
This is the spirit – the daring to dream, the courage to imagine, the tenacity to create – that lies at the heart of the new University of Agriculture, Science and Technology (UAST), Ihugh, being established by the Benue State Government. We believe that the Simon Petrus of Africa are not anomalies but latent flames waiting for the right atmosphere to ignite. At UAST, His Excellency Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, the Executive Governor of Benue State, has birthed a grand vision for building that atmosphere.
“IMAGINE. ASPIRE. INNOVATE. CREATE.”
This is not just our motto – it is the living philosophy that will shape every corner of our hybrid campus. UAST is not conceived as a conventional institution but as a transformative crucible for Africa’s renaissance in technology, agriculture, health, and the applied sciences. Here at Ihugh, the old paradigms of theory without impact shall be dismantled. In their place, we are erecting structures of practical innovation, industry-linked discovery, and groundbreaking research that is both Afrocentric and globally relevant.
Our School of Precision Agriculture isn’t just about mechanized farming – it is about harnessing AI, sensors, and machine learning to power our ecosystem of applied agricultural remote sensing smart farms in robust partnership and collaboration with the University of New England in New South Wales, Australia, to feed a continent – Africa. Our School of Blue Economy is not merely about fish – it is about reimagining inland aquaculture, maritime innovation, and energy solutions in ways that open new frontiers to be driven in partnership with Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy. Across our numerous Schools (Colleges/Faculties) and Research Centres/Institutes, we shall foster a dynamic learning culture where Learners and Researchers, like Simon Petrus, shall be empowered to turn scarcity into ingenuity and challenges into inventions.
At UAST, we won’t wait for opportunity – we will create it. We won’t conform to the limitations of the old guard – we will innovate beyond them. In the bold vision of Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, the Executive Governor of Benue State, UAST is going to form the intellectual nucleus of the AliaNomICs Agenda – an audacious blueprint for economic transformation rooted in knowledge, agriculture, science, health, and technology.
Here at Ihugh, every Learner shall be trained not just to graduate but to originate – to become the next Simon Petrus and then go even further. Because at UAST, we are not just going to be producing degree holders. The Benue State Government, on behalf of the good people of Benue, has sent us on a mission to cultivate knowledgeable visionaries, technologists, inventors, and problem-solvers who will reengineer Africa’s destiny from within the Benue Valley.
IMAGINE. ASPIRE. INNOVATE. CREATE.
This is UAST – a creative vision of the Benue State Government under the leadership of Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia as Executive Governor (2023–2031)
This is Africa, reimagined.
- Prof. Qrisstuberg Amua, MNES, Cert. Biores. Utiliz./Ecol. Conserv. (Wuhan, China)
