Tomorrow, the town of Ilara in Epe Division of Lagos State will be abuzz as His Eminence Anthony Cardinal Okogie inaugurates the Augustine University.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is expected to speak at the inauguration which would commence after a thanksgiving mass.
Authorities of the university, which has been seven years in the pipeline, are putting finishing touches to preparations to receive the pioneer students on October 30, 2015.
Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos and proprietor of the university, His Grace Alfred Adewale Martins, told journalists when he toured the campus last Friday that the institution would admit students into 12 programmes spread across three faculties (Humanities, Management, and Pure and Applied Sciences).
He said that in line with the education template of catholic institutions, the university would aim to produce high quality graduates who would impact the society positively.
“In its philosophy, the Augustine University will epitomize the noble tradition of Catholic Higher Education in seeking to achieve intellectual, cultural, moral and spiritual excellence; it will do this, through the pursuit of a broad spectrum of academic disciplines. It will seek to produce scholars who are imbued with the love of universal truth, towards the service of God and humanity. It will provide facilities for training, learning and research, to promote the advancement of knowledge and its practical application to socio, political, cultural, economic, scientific and technological problems,” he said.
Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Steven Afolami, said at N630,000 – N730,000, the fees charged by the university was subsidized. He, however, added that there would be scholarships for indigent students who excel in their studies.
“If we charge students N730,000 for accommodation, tuition, internet, medical services, sports, it is subsidized. If we were to charge the full cost, it would come to about N2 million. The fees are graded in such a way that those that do not need lab facilities would pay a little less. The archdiocese is waiting for the students to perform and show excellence to get scholarship,” he said, noting that the university had already admitted a student on scholarship.
Regarding attracting the best workers, Afolami also said that the institution would pay emoluments above what the Federal Government currently pays lecturers in Federal universities.
The Vice Chancellor led Archbishop Martins on tour of the facilities prepared for the take-off of the institution including classrooms, laboratories, library, and offices in the Faculty of Applied Sciences, the Multipurpose Centre made up of two main cafeterias and several butteries; the Assumption Girls’ hostel (endowed by Church of Assumption, Falomo); and the Divine Mercy Boys’ Hostel (endowed by the Divine Mercy Parish, Lekki).
Dignitaries expected at tomorrow’s programme include: General Theophilus Danjuma, chairman of the occasion; Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State; Dr Mike Adenuga, Chairman, Globacom; and Sir Johnson Arumemi-Akhide, Chairman, Arik Air, amongst others.