The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ELIZADE VARSITY

  • Elizade varsity stresses quality education

    As Elizade University, Ilara Mokin in Ondo State graduated 131 students during its third convocation, its Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Olukayode Amund, said the institution would continue to prioritise quality education and moral rectitude in the training of its products.

    Amund, who was also inaugurated as the third VC of the University during the event, said as a product of a merit- driven and flawless selection process, he would run the affairs of the institution with integrity, fear of God, probity and respect for constituted authority as well as human dignity.

    He said his vision was to raise Elizade University to the same pedestal as world-class universities.

    The don said he would create an enabling environment for teaching and research in diverse fields of endeavour, equipping students with initiative and leadership skills for national and international recognition.

    The guest speaker at the occasion and Chairman, First Bank PLC, Mrs Ibukun Awosika, called for restructuring of entire university system.

    She said a university degree was not key to success in life.

    She urged the students to utilise all opportunities that come their way, noting that failure of integrity and character could damage their lives.

    “We must move away from Master-Servant syndrome with the free expression of mind. Life has many options; don’t take ultimate decision because of money; you should try to find where your life can be more impactful,” she said.

    The founder and visitor to the University, Chief Michael Ade-Ojo, advised the new graduates to be more determined and struggle to become greater in life.

    Besides, he urged them to exploit all the values they gained at Elizade University for their self-development and that of the country at large.

    Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu who was represented by the Ondo state Commissioner for Education, Femi Agagu, said Elizade University had become the pride of the state, pledging to do everything possible to assist in developing the ivory tower.

    Out of the 131 new graduates from the four faculties, 18 students made First Class grade, representing 13.7 percent of total graduates.

  • Elizade varsity rebrands

    In response to the technological and communication revolutions of modern time, Elizade University in Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State has changed its logo in its bid to drive scientific and technological change. It was at an event held at Four Point By Sheraton Hotel. WALE AJETUNMOBI reports.

    Catching up with 21st Century ideas and knowledge requires tertiary institutions to employ advanced technology to deploy cutting-edge academic solutions to solve contemporary challenges and meet the demands of time.

    A  21st century university is a student-centred institution, which operates simultaneously in a local and global context. Tertiary institutions of contemporary time cannot exist without ability to measure and communicate their progress, renew their commitment to students, community and the country where they operate.

    This aptly described the decision of the founder of Elizade University in Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State, to rededicate the operations of the institution for better service delivery. Owned by a leading entrepreneur, Chief Michael Ade-Ojo, the private university, last Wednesday, unveiled a new identity in response to challenges of 21st century education. The new identity was unveiled to a select audience of corporate executives, academics and media practitioners.

    President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr Aigboje Aig-Imokhuede, who led corporate executives to the event, stressed the need to create opportunity for mentoring students in entrepreneurship. According to him, equipping students with soft skills is critical to solving the challenges of facing the nation.

    Aig-Imoukhuede, who is also the school’s Pro-chancellor, spoke on The relevance of building entrepreneurial spirit in young persons. He said he identified with the school, because of its founder’s vision to create a world-class university that will equip students with modern knowledge driven by technology and entrepreneurship.

    He praised the management for assembling “quality teachers and excellent non-teaching staff” to manage the university, citing entrepreneurial instincts of some students who run thriving businesses while in school.

    He said: “Things that differentiate great universities are the quality of teaching staff and the currency of their curricula. These help school to maintain larger-than-life image beyond the beauty of their physical structures. This is why you find students buying and proudly wearing branded shirts of such schools across the globe. Many are ready to defend the school and identify as alumni years after their exit. This is the image Elizade University has created for itself.

    “The quality of teaching staff determines the quality of knowledge to be imparted on students. For the few years the university has been in existence, it has imparted far more quality knowledge on students, who are now creating their businesses while in school. I am happy the vision is being achieved.”

    The pro-chancellor said the school Governing Council would launch an endowment programme and scholarship schemes as part of the efforts to promote excellent scholarship. Aig-Imoukhuede said the scholarship would be offered to winners of the Founder’s Golf Challenge and Pro-chancellor’s Fitness Challenge. Two students, he said, will pick the star prizes for each activity when it is formally unveiled.

    Two graduating students, Iyanu Oluyade and Gift Silas, held the audience spell-bound as they shared spectacular entrepreneurship and academic experiences they garnered in four years of their stay in the university. The exploits, according to the students, were derived from the school’s internship and attachment programmes.

    Chief Ade-Ojo said the design of new logo for the school was a step towards actualising his vision of creating a world class institution of higher learning, which will be dedicated to the pursuit of academic and moral excellence.

    He said: “We are unveiling this new identity to herald a new dawn in the life of our great institution established for the growth of knowledge, character as well as the total development of mankind. The new identity reflects the resolve of the university to breed young men and women who will break new grounds in all areas of human endeavours in accordance with global best practices.”

    The founder appreciated the National Universities Commission (NUC) for approving the new logo, while hailing former Minister of Health, Prince Julius Adelusi- Adeluyi, for his support to the school.

    The acting Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Theophilus Fadayomi, said the founder’s vision for the school was being achieved through “great passion” displayed by staff. He said university’s popularity and rating had improved since 2013 it took off with 13 programmes.

    The acting VC said all the 31 programmes offered by school had been fully accredited by the NUC, adding that students’ enrolment had grown from 64 in 2013 to 1,144.

    Prof Fadayomi revealed that the serenity of the university’s choice location in a settlement between the hills of Ilara-Mokin made it attractive to students and academic for research.

    He said: “Elizade University is different from its peers, with its state-of-the-art facilities we built to support learning, and high calibre teaching and non-teaching staff we engage to impart knowledge using information and communication technology.”

  • I did not defraud Elizade varsity, says ex-VC

    I did not defraud Elizade varsity, says ex-VC

    Business magnate and founder of Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State Chief Michael Ade-Ojo is at loggerheads with the former vice chancellor of the university, Prof Adekunle Oloyede, whom he has sued to court for allegations of stealing the university’s $1.8million meant for the construction of a male hostel.  Oloyede says he was not part of the contract Ade-Ojo signed with Duro Global PTY Ltd to construct the hostel, reports DAMISI OJO from Akure.

    The embattled Vice Chancellor (VC) of the Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Prof Adekunle Oloyede, has denied the university’s claim of fraud to the tune of $1.8 million.

    Oloyede, who was detained for 13 days over charges of stealing, obtaining money under false pretense and felony last week, told The Nation that he was not privy to the contract the Founder of the university, Chief Michael Ade-Ojo signed with an Australian firm, Duro Global PTY, for the construction of a 512-bed male hostel though he introduced both parties.

    He faulted claims by the university that he was in charge of the contract from the start, saying he stepped in when talks broke down between Ade Ojo and the firm.

    In a statement, the university had said that Oloyede persuaded Ade Ojo to abandon a local contractor, who was to build the hostel for N475 million in favour of Duro Global PTY because of claims it would use of superior PIR Panel building technology.

    The statement reads in part: “”The Founder agreed to adopt the PIR Panel building technology believing that the hostel would be ready in August, 2015 ahead of students’ resumption in 2015.  The total cost of constructing the 512-bed space PIR Panel hostel was put at $1.8m.  The building was meant to be constructed by an Australian based company, Duro Global PTY Ltd, which was introduced to the Founder by Prof. ‘Kunle Oloyede.  Prof. Oloyede had claimed that he is a partner in the company.

    “Based on the advice of Prof. ‘Kunle Oloyede, the Founder transferred the total sum of $1,120,000.00 to the account of Duro Global PTY Ltd. between March and July 2015.

    “However, when the Founder noticed that the steel and panel for the construction were not forthcoming, he complained to Prof. Oloyede, who then asked for a power of attorney to act on behalf of the Founder in Australia.  The Founder believed that Prof. Oloyede would ably represent him as promised.

    “After the power of attorney had been given to Prof. Oloyede, he requested the Founder to send the balance of $650,000.00 into his personal account to enable him procure the remaining materials for the building from South Korea.  The Founder transferred the money into Prof. Oloyede’s personal account in Australia but to the Founder’s dismay, Prof. Oloyede informed him that he later paid the $650,000.00 into Duro Global’s account, even when it was obvious that the company had not performed.

    “Up until this date, only seven containers of incomplete steel have been supplied to the University.”

    Reacting to the allegations, Oloyede said the contract was signed in February 2015 and over 90 per cent of money that changed hands had been paid before he resumed as the University’s Vice Chancellor in September of the same year.

    He said: “I introduced them based on my conversation with Chief Ade Ojo on IGR for the university. He told me that he wanted to build a world class university and I told him that no single person can fund a world class university and that even the governments of richer countries struggle to do this, therefore we would need to generate and raise money towards the ambition.  Following this conversation I proposed the idea of building a factory containing building materials; however he suggested that a student hostel be built first.

    “I received absolutely no financial benefit from this agreement; there is nothing that I have now that I did not possess before meeting Chief, nothing. When Chief came to Australia, I organised a meeting between the Australian company and Chief and I did not attend the meeting because I was not party to the agreement and I also wanted him to ask the company questions, believing that everything was okay. I also wanted him to ask them even if I was making any money from the contract.”

    The Professor of Medical Engineering said Ade Ojo rather reneged on his agreement with the Australian firm.

    “You can see that Duro Global initially proposed a turnkey project to develop the student hostel at an estimated cost of USD4,567,000 million. This proposal was rejected by Chief Ade Ojo and it was agreed that the project would be split into local and foreign components to cut costs, where Duro Global would supply materials and related costs as well as supervisory personnel for the construction of the 4000 square metres student hostel for a total of USD1,800,000. Under this arrangement, Duro Global was to supply steel form work and PIR panels and all other items such as doors, windows, fittings, tiles and labour would be sourced in Nigeria.”

    Oloyede said he only stepped into the matter when talks broke down between Ade Ojo and Duro Global due to delays in making money available as promised by the Chief and in supplying the first component, namely, the steel component as promised by Duro Global.

    “One morning, Chief called me, and said that he called Duro Global the previous night, and that they were very rude to him and he will never call them again. A few hours later, Duro Global contacted me and asked me why I introduced them to someone like Chief Ade.Ojo. That was around June 2015 – don’t   forget I resumed as Vice Chancellor on 1st of September that year. This was the reason that I asked Chief for the power-of-attorney. Most people think the power-of-attorney was granted to me from the beginning and I was the one doing all negotiations from the beginning, this is not the case. It was in June 2015 when relationship had broken between Duro Global and Chief Ade.Ojo that I asked for the power-of-attorney. The power-of-attorney was specifically for me to pick up from where they were on the steel, make sure I saw the steel being fabricated, take photographs of the steel, and ensure that the steel was transported to Nigeria.

    “The steel component, worth over US$1.9 m according to Duro Global, was delivered to the Elizade University campus in January 2016.”

    Oloyede regretted that he left a highflying career in Australia to return to Nigeria to take up the appointment as Elizade University VC.

    “I was the Australian face at the Shanghai Expo 2010 given my reputation as a prominent Australian as I am both a Nigerian, born and bred, and an Australian. When I look at everything that I have been put through since my return to Nigeria, I have to ask myself if I made the right decision coming back here to help my people. Many Nigerians in Australia asked me why I wanted to return to Nigeria given their experiences with the system, however I chose to return because I have a deep passion for helping the youth of the country in their educational pursuits.

    “How could anyone accuse me of engaging in fraudulent activity, especially when my wife and I both resigned from our high ranking positions in Australia to come and contribute to Nigeria? My wife was an Executive of a company with 8,000 (members of) staff and I was a very prominent academician. It is not a case of one in, one out. Chief Ade Ojo himself came to Australia and witnessed the statuses and success that we had achieved.”

    When contacted on phone, Co-Director of Duro Global, Mrs Margeret Durovic said the company is ready to act.

    “We have read the news on the Internet and will definitely act as Chief Ade Ojo has dented the Company’s image. The agreement was completely made between the company and Chief Ade Ojo. Kunle (Oloyede) was not even privy to it other than the fact that he introduced them.”

    The company also vowed to sue Chief Ade Ojo if things continue this way.

  • Elizade varsity, Vigeo Power partner on manpower devt

    Authorities of the Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State and Vigeo Power Limited yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the grooming of skilled workforce in the power sector.

    Vigeo Power is the core investor of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), one of the distribution companies that emerged from the unbundled Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

    Managing Director of BEDC, Mrs. Funke Osibodu, said the partnership was to set new standards and improving the power industry human capital requirement.

    Mrs. Osibodu said the newly recruited 200 graduates of the BEDC would be sent to Elizade University for classroom training after undergoing one year on-the-job rotational training.

    She noted that the idea of the partnership was to train and groom existing and newly recruited young graduates as well as non-graduate apprentices to improve performance of the company and ultimately build capacity in the power sector.

  • NUC boss counsels Elizade Varsity students

    NUC boss counsels Elizade Varsity students

    The Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof Julius Okojie, has enjoined the newly admitted students of Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin in Ondo State to uphold the excellent standards that the university has set, both in character and academics.

    Okojie gave the advice at the second matriculation of the university.

    He admonished the students to shun cultism, drug abuse, examination malpractice, sexual immoralities, disrespect for constituted authority and other vices.

    The NUC boss, who was represented by a former Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, (FUTA), Prof Adebisi Balogun, said the Commission was impressed with the university, especially its adherence to procedures while seeking approval for 16 additional programmes.

    He described the approval, barely 10 months after the university started academic activities, which as a great feat, praising its management for a job well done.

    He said Elizade University is one of the institutions the NUC holds in high esteem and promised them further support.

    The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Valentine Aletor, said the Institution is prepared to give quality education to the students.

    He said the curricula are designed to meet the country’s need for technological and scientific breakthrough.

    The Vice-Chancellor was impressed that the university, which started with 64 students, admitted 220 for the 2013/2014 academic session.

    He urged the students to make the most of the quality facilities and sound academics, drawn from America, Europe, Asia and Nigeria to acquire education that would make them globally competitive.

     

  • Elizade varsity don is editor of Indian journal

    Elizade varsity don is editor of Indian journal

    The Dean, Faculty of Basic and Applied Sciences, Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State, Prof Olatunji Oyelana has been appointed Editor for the Journal of Plant Science and Research, India.

    The Journal is an international, non-profit, open access, peer reviewed journal that was launched with a commitment to serve the scientific community.

    Oyelana was born on the February 16, 1961 in Oni, Ogun-waterside Local Government area of Ogun State, Nigeria. He had his university education and Ph.D in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Lagos (1997).

    He has 21 years experiences in private and public universities across Nigeria.

    Oyelana is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Agricultural Biotechnology and Biotec Research Institute, Kasetsart University, Kamphaeng Saem Campus, Thailand.

    He was appointed a member, Research Board of Advisors by the American Biographic Institute in 2007, and awarded ‘Distinguished Personality’ of the year 2007 by the same organisation. In 2008, he was voted the National Secretary of the Environment and Behaviour Association of Nigeria. He renders professional services to many learned journals and academic societies.

    Oyelana is the Associate Editor of the Asian Journal of Plant Sciences, Journal of Biological Sciences, Journal of Applied Sciences, Research Journal of Botany and Bacteriology Journal and has published extensively Genetics, Cytogenetics, Plant Breeding, Phytochemistry, Environmental Biology and Biosystematics.