Edict No. 48 of the Federal Government of Nigeria established the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike in May 1993. In due course, it became clear that the mission of the Institution could not be properly achieved, neither could Agriculture be successfully developed nor meaningfully utilized in the industrialization, mechanization and sustenance of the nation without an accompanying College of Engineering. Thus in 2001/2002 academic session, the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, came into existence with the establishment of the Department of Agricultural Engineering followed in quick succession by Departments of Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering in the 2003/2004 academic session. Computer Engineering took off in the 2004/2005 academic session and Chemical Engineering in the 2011/2012 academic session. These departments run 5-year degree programmes leading to the award of the Bachelor of Engineering (B. Eng.) degree.
Dr. O. Onuba who started the College of Engineering was also the first Head of the department of Electrical/Electronics Engineering. In the year 2006/2007 academic session, the National Universities Commission (NUC) conducted accreditation exercise in the department for the accreditation of Bachelor’s Degree programme. The department was denied accreditation due to certain deficiencies that affected the department. As a result of these, there was no admission into year one during 2006/2007 academic session and the department had a total of 118 undergraduate students.
In the year 2007/2008 academic session, Engr. Dr. L. U. Anih who was on sabbatical leave in the department was appointed the Head of the Department by the Vice-Chancellor and was charged with overall responsibility of organization, coordination, supervision of the various academic activities and day-to-day running of the Department. The Department has two major options: Electronics and Power Systems Engineering. In 2008/2009 academic session the Department graduated its first students who were seven in number (three second class upper division and four second class lower division). Thereupon, the Department continued to grow in teaching and research facilities, staff strength and student enrolment.
In the year 2008/2009, the Department had nine teaching members of staff with Engr. Prof. O. I. Okoro as the Head of the Department. In this academic year, the department recorded a rapid development in terms of procurement and refurbishing of equipment as well as physical infrastructures. Presently, the department has twenty-seven (28) lecturers, four (4) technologists, three (3) technical staff and a total of four hundred and ninety five (495) undergraduate students.
Through selfless service and relentless efforts, the Department staff struggle extremely hard despite the prevailing economic state of the educational sector of the nation to ensure we produce Engineers who are not only sound academically, but equally can compete excellently with their counterparts in various universities within and outside the country.