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Tag: Achievers Varsity

  • Alleged fake admission: Student threatens Achievers varsity with N500m lawsuit

    Alleged fake admission: Student threatens Achievers varsity with N500m lawsuit

    • Pro Chancellor aware, talking with the family to resolve it—Management

    A 200-LEVEL Law student of Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State, Akinlolu Richard Omisade, has threatened a N500 million lawsuit against his institution for allegedly offering him admission not presented to the Joint Admission Matriculation Board(JAMB).

    Omisade in a letter of protest through his lawyer, Barrister Abdulfatai Abdulsalam, submitted and received at the office of the Vice-Chancellor, a copy made available to newsmen in Osogbo capital of Osun State, described the admission offered to him by the school as ‘fake’.

    The letter stated that Omisade’s admission process was discovered to have been poorly and negligently handled by the institution with his name not sent to the JAMB for proper consideration.

    According to the petition, “Our client was offered admission to study Law in your institution by virtue of an admission letter dated 16th August, 2024.

    “Upon investigation through the JAMB portal, it was discovered that our client was not genuinely admitted by your school. His name was not found on the JAMB portal for law admission in your school. This implies that his details were not forwarded to JAMB by your institution for the purpose of admission into the Law programme.”

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    Omisade through his lawyer warned that “Failure to comply will compel us to notify the National Universities Commission (NUC), JAMB and CLE of your institution’s improper mode of admitting students through unverifiable means.”

    When The Nation contacted the Public Relations Officer of the institution, Mr Olaniyi Adekanye, he said “We are talking with the family to resolve the situation. The Pro Chancellor of the institution is aware of the matter and we are currently holding a meeting about it.”

  • FUOYE Theatre students mark first decade of Achievers’ varsity

    For three days in the ancient town of Owo, Ondo State, Achievers’ University’s management celebrated the institution’s 10th anniversary in grand style. The ceremony saw guests from far and near being treated to various shows ranging from drama and cultural performances to service of songs, prayer sessions, talks and anniversary lecture. The grand finale was the convocation where about 300 graduates received their academic awards.

    A major segment of the celebration was the drama presentation by students and staff of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE). The play, which was derived from Who is afraid of job interview, written by Julie Okoh, was directed by MrTayo Isijola, a lecturer in the Department of Theatre and Media Arts at FUOYE. The performance, which was well received by the university community, dramatised on a didactic note, the basic requirements and right attitudes expected of young graduates before securing employment. It educated all job seekers on how to conduct themselves while attending employment interviews. On the team of the performers were Dr Bifatife Adeseye, the Acting Head of Department, Dr Sola Balogun, Mr Bassey Asuquo, Mr Isaac Gondo and Mr Chris.

    When asked about the mission of the institution and its first decade celebration, Dr Bode Ayorinde, the founder and leader of the joint-stock university, said the entire project was God-ordained. He recalled how he had failed in other ventures, such as agriculture and transportation and how the vision of a private university became a reality in his home town, Owo.

    According to Ayorinde, a member of the House of Representatives, many people, particularly his elders and royal fathers in his home town, doubted his ability and sincerity when he first mooted the idea. A majority of his kinsmen wrote him off, believing that he neither had the resources nor the charisma to establish a tertiary institution of such magnitude.

    “When I came up with the idea, my people doubted me, but God saw me through. They never believed it could be a reality until the NUC gave us approval to establish the private university in Owo,” said the unassuming founder of the institution who added that his venture into education was never based on any feasibility study.

    He disclosed how he joined the Bank with his Ordinary National Diploma (OND) with little or no resources and how he established a tuition centre in Ibadan to anchor some of the courses he needed to run before acquiring his Chartered Institute of Accounting (CIA) certificate. The CIA certificate courses were only available in Lagos then and he was handicapped by shortage of funds to shuttle between Lagos and Ibadan, hence he employed teachers for the remaining CIA courses and enlisted himself as a student.

    On completion of the programme, he got promoted as a banker and went on to expand the tuition centre to accommodate more students as well as introduce more programmes, such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Joint Admisions Matriculation Board (JAMB) coaching classes and a secondary school. Eventually, he resigned from the bank because he was earning more income from his educational business.

    Ayorinde said he later studied Law while still running his investments in education. After a few years of successful operation, he had to align with other institutions like Lead City, which obtained the licence to establish a private university ahead of him.  His words: “I later heard on radio that one of our competitors then, Lead City had obtained a licence. So, I told myself that if Lead City could get it, nothing would stop Achievers too from getting the licence. So, when I went to serve as a Special Assistant to a Senator, I used my first salary to obtain the form from the National Universities Commission (NUC). I also went ahead to acquire land in my state for the project. I also sold shares to procure enough funds to start the university. Today, I can boldly say that Achievers University is the only joint-stock university in Nigeria. Although my family owns about 55 per cent of the total shares, about 90 other people, including the traditional ruler of my town, are joint owners of the institution.”

    On how the university serves the public in relation to its mission statement, Ayorinde explained: “Our mission statement is to establish the best university in Africa. Though we are yet to meet the target we set in the first 10 years due to financial constraints, we have a master plan, which we are following religiously to achieve our objectives. The university is being propelled by parents, who pay fees for their wards and it is from that, that we manage to pay salaries. For about six years, we have been paying the equivalent of the salaries paid to lecturers as stipulated by ASUU. Besides, we do not charge exorbitant fees in view of providing world-class education. Our charges are moderate and our workforce is keying into our vision of producing the best graduates in a highly systemic way.”

  • Achievers Varsity explores engineering potential

    Achievers University (AU), Owo in Ondo State has embraced engineering and technology programmes as a paradigm shift in the 21st century production process.

    The National Universities Commission (NUC) has approved five engineering programmes for its College of Engineering and Technology with effect from 2016/2017 academic session.  The programmes are Electrical&Electronics Engineering; Computer Engineering; Telecommunications Engineering; Mechatronics Engineering; and Biomedical Engineering.

    After conducting reporters round the gigantic engineering site under construction, the Vice Chancellor, Prof Tunji Ibiyemi, said the level of production was determined by the level of information technology.

    According to him, the development has resulted in a merger of engineering programmes.

    Ibiyemi added that the vision of the university was to be the best in Africa, adding that the institution ought to prepare for the numerous challenges in the 21st century.

    He said: “We want to become the best university in Africa to do what is unique to drive the economy of the country through engineering potential.

    “We are fully prepared to train graduates in engineering and technology that will provide self-employment on one hand and solution providers to the economic recession in Nigeria.’’

    He stressed that the university was moving from natural resources-driven economy to a knowledge-driven one for the benefit of all.

    Ibiyemi said the management had secured loans from a  bank to run its engineering programmes and that the engineering workshop/laboratory would be ready  by June.

  • Achievers varsity graduates 38 first class

    Five hundred and forty-seven graduating students of the Achievers University, Owo in Ondo State have received their first degree certificates in their various courses.

    They were drawn from 12 academic programmes of the institution.

    At the fourth graduation held at the Trinity Hall of the university, the Vice Chancellor Prof Tunji Ibiyemi said 38 graduated with first class, 294 in second class (upper division), 197 in the second class(lower division), while the remaining 18 are third class.

    Ibiyemi said the College of Natural and Applied Sciences with 147 graduating students had 14 in first class, 80 in second class (upper), 45 in second class (lower) and eight in third class.

    In the College of Social and Management Sciences with 400 graduating students, Ibiyemi said 24 students had first class, 214 in second class (lower)and 10 in third class.

    According to him, many private universities can no longer meet their admission quota. He expressed the fear that they may collapse eventually if urgent step is not taken.

    He also urged the Federal Government to extend the Tertiary Institution Trust Fund (TetFund) to private universities, adding that all taxable Nigerians are paying taxes and should, therefore, benefit from such gesture without discrimination.

    The university Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of Council Dr Bode Ayorinde, expressed the need for government’s intervention in the running of private universities towards national economic development.

    According to him, about 61 private universities nationwide have NUC approved quota to jointly admit about 150,000 students per year.

    He regretted that they could not admit beyond 50,000 due to inadequate infrastructure.

  • Achievers Varsity prays for Nigeria

    Achievers Varsity prays for Nigeria

    The entire Achievers University community last Monday stood in the gap for Nigeria, beseeching God to help the country overcome her challenges.

    Pro-chancellor and Chairman of Council, Dr. Bode Ayorinde and the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Tunji Ibiyemi, joined invited clerics, members of staff and students of Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State to implore God to intercede in the affairs of the country so that all the challenges confronting it will be surmounted.

    They made the prayers at the Eighth “Start with God Service”, an annual event held on the first working day of every year, at the new Trinity Auditorium of the university

    The university workers also used the occasion to pray for the institution, Council, Management and staff of the institution.

    Ayorinde, who presided over the event, reiterated the commitment of the Council to the welfare of staff and students. He assured them that things would continue to work out well for the university in the New Year.

    He, however, urged them to be steadfast and re-dedicate themselves to the university’s vision to be the best in Africa and one of the best in the world.

    “Gradually, we are moving towards realising the vision,” he said.

    He also implored them to live exemplary lives in their day-to-day interaction with colleagues, mates and members of the community as well as do everything to promote the University’s commitment to integrity in all their affairs.

    Speaking on the occasion, the Vice-Chancellor, Ibiyemi, who was attending the programme for the first time since joining the university last April, charged the congregation to, beyond the prayer session, make praying ceaselessly for the country and the institution their culture.

    The Chartered Electrical Engineer also urged the workers to be diligent in their duties in order to be rewarded.

    Ibiyemi, who took time to distinguish between ‘award’ and ‘reward’, said “award” is proportional to work done or contribution to a cause while the enjoyment  derivable “reward” is unprecedented.  He, therefore, urged the staff and students to earnestly strive for God’s reward. “He will bless the work of your hand as God is a rewarder of those who diligently serve Him,” he said.

    Clerics who offered prayers at the service included: Very Revd Raphael Agboola, Dean, Cathedral Church of St. Andrew, Owo; Pastor Ponle Audu, Resident Pastor,  Winners Chapel, Owo; Rev. Edward Ogungbuji, New Church Cathedral, Owo.

    Pastor Kola Ahmed, General Overseer, Christ Praise Assembly, and Chief Executive Officer, Health and Safety Professional Scheme, delivered the exhortation.

    He counselled the workers to be united in their support and prayers for the founder, Ayorinde.

    “Be united; unity is what we need for victory. We should rally round and make the vision the same,” he said.