- Says Nigeria could develop tech-driven economy in five to ten years
Prof. Francisca Oladipo is the Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer of Thomas Adewumi University (TAU) in Oko, Kwara State. In this interview with GBENGA ADERANTI, the professor of Computer Science reveals why he took up an appointment with the private university, the challenges that come with managing a private university and her unforgettable experience as a don, among other issues.
I’m sure you had other options before you opted for the academia. What was the attraction?
I have always been in the academia. As a matter of fact, by the time I was appointed the Vice-Chancellor of Thomas Adewumi University in 2022, I had already spent 21 years as a university teacher and administrator across countries and continents. However, speaking generally, I have always loved teaching. It did not matter the level—primary, high school or tertiary institution. My parents were teachers and I kind of grew up learning to train others to do things—teach people to cook, drive, build; just generally impacting knowledge. So I would say that I am a ‘natural formator’.
How did you become the Vice-Chancellor of Thomas Adewumi University?
I was head-hunted for the position of Vice-Chancellor of the university. I was not even in Nigeria when the Founder of the University, Engr Dr Johnson Adewumi, based on recommendations of some highly placed Nigerians in the university sector, reached out to me. There were no adverts or applications, just a series of interactions with the university’s Board of Trustees and Governing Council, and my appointment was announced.
What challenges did you face in attaining this position?
There were no challenges to attaining the position of a Vice-Chancellor really. Yes, I was hesitant initially because I had other plans for my career at that point, and they did not include heading a university (smiles). Additionally, I was leading some international research projects and being offered the position of Vice-Chancellor kind of presented some uncertainties around my availability to complete the project. But all that was taken care of.
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I have had the privilege of speaking to many vice-chancellors in government institutions, and many of them are of the view that private universities are not an option for them. Why did you decide to accept an appointment in a private university?
I love challenges. I love solving difficult problems. I love to tread where everyone else dreads. I was leading an international Euro-African project prior to my taking up this appointment. I accepted the position because I believed, and still do, in the vision of the Founder. I knew what I was getting into, I understood the challenges and I took them headlong. Thomas Adewumi University is a legacy project, a way of giving back to the Nigerian educational landscape, a means of shaping the future of our young people through affordable quality education. While I can understand why many of our good Professors would decline appointments as Vice-Chancellors in the private university sector, my position as Vice-Chancellor of Thomas Adewumi University is more of a partnership to work together with people of like minds to co-create for global impact.
The position offered me an opportunity to do what I love doing the most – nurturing young minds through education. It offered me the opportunity to be part of something noble and exciting but challenging at the same time – nurturing a young institution to become a university that is in a class of its own, bring about disruption and challenge the norms.
What challenges have you faced in managing a private university, especially as a woman?
I will like to not dwell on the fact that I am a woman. The major challenge was and still is majorly around funding. The university is being funded solely by our proprietor, so things are not really easy like you have in the public university system where you have TETfund and other government supports. In addition, being a young university (we are less than four years old), we originally struggled with increasing our enrolment. We needed to do more to earn the trust of the public in order for parents to trust us with their wards. But through the hard work of the members of the campus community – faculty, staff and students, we have been able to carve a niche for ourselves and achieved many milestones.
You were the first woman to serve as a member of the Governing Council at the Federal University, Lokoja, and the first female Head of the Department of Computer Science at that university. Could you share your experience?
Federal University, Lokoja was like my promised land and a training ground for me. I was a lot of ‘firsts’ in that university. I was not only the first and only female in the Governing Council but was also the youngest member. Therefore, it was an exciting experience for me really. I learnt a lot more from the external and internal members of the Council who you could say have ‘been there, done that’. Federal University Lokoja is unique in one way: we are welcoming, and we don’t discriminate on account of tribe, gender, age or any other demographics. I was an Associate Professor when I contested for and won an election as the Senate Representative to the Governing Council. As the Head of Department of Computer Science, I enjoyed the trust and support of all the members of the university community even beyond my department. We were like a family.
Like I said earlier I like to venture into what many believe would be impossible, so I revamped the undergraduate curriculum for the computer science programme, established the PGD, MSc and PhD Computer Science programmes and was on the verge of establishing the Faculty of Computing when I was posted out for another assignment.
How do you cope as a female university teacher and administrator?
I cope well as excepted. I understand my roles and KPIs and I work daily towards achieving them. As an administrator, I believe in the merits of delegating, but being a private university where some of the talents may not be adequate, I take on more responsibilities beyond that of my office. I am a teacher, and even as a Vice-Chancellor, I still teach no fewer than six units in a semester. As a researcher, I supervise both undergraduate and postgraduate theses, publish extensively, attend and present at conferences. I am not a boss, but a team leader and I lead from the front. You would see me driving tractors, handling shovels, participating in digging and other heavy activities during constructions, etc. to encourage my colleagues.
What is one unforgettable experience you’ve had as a lecturer?
My career as a lecturer is filled with many unforgettable experiences. However, I would never forget the experience of witnessing the remarkable transformation of students who struggle tremendously at first with their academics, possibly failing in their first semesters, but going on to become some of the best in their sets. Experiences like such remind me of why I am a teacher – not just to transfer information but to create environments where students can discover their intellectual capabilities and unique contributions.
How would you describe your experience as an undergraduate and how you navigated potential distractions?
My undergraduate years were without many distractions. I was what you could best describe as an ‘effico’. It was basically classroom-hostel-church/fellowship-classroom. There were no mobile phones at that time and not many students had entertainment systems, so we basically just studied.
How did your upbringing shape the woman you have become?
I was raised by very loving but strict parents. They taught us godliness, respect, contentment, hard work, commitment and service to humanity. My parents were my first teachers and I guessed that kind of influenced my choice of career in some ways.
Many women claim experiencing sexual harassment. What are your thoughts on this issue?
It is unfortunate really and I believe that our society should do more to protect the vulnerable. Sexual harassment is not limited to just women, men and children also experience the evil. People should be encouraged to speak up. We should shun the culture of victim-shaming, victim-blaming. The university system can put modalities in place for prevention.
What does being a woman mean to you?
Being a woman is just one facet of my complete identity. Yes, it is important, but it is not all encompassing. I see being a woman as meaning that you have to navigate a complex identity that is being shaped by biological and cultural context. For example, I would not imagine you asking a similar question of a male Vice-Chancellor. Being a woman means that your lived experiences are constantly under scrutiny, you have to fight limiting stereotypes that define womanhood based on physical appearances and family experiences.
What are you passionate about?
I love to nurture new things to grow. I am passionate about training my students. I love watching their lives grow, from the timid fresher of the prelim years to the uncertainties around getting into the core of the field of study in year two, to the stronger gaits of the penultimate year three and the freedom of the final years.
What led you to pursue a career in Computer Science?
My father was a mathematician. It was a field considered by people to be quite tough. Recall that I mentioned earlier how I love doing difficult things. However, there was the thing about studying ‘professional courses’ in the university – computer science was considered as the ‘profession branch’ of mathematics.
How did your parents react when you told them you wanted to study Computer Science?
They were quite okay with my choice. Computer Science as seen as a prestigious field, ranked up there just a little below Medicine, Pharmacy and Law. So it was a thing of pride for them, especially my mum who did not want me to end up as a Mathematics teacher (smiles).
Why are there so few women in the digital or technology sector in Africa?
There are several interconnected factors actually. There is the cultural expectation that portrays the STEM fields as being masculine, making girls to frequently face discouragement from pursuing technical fields. This cultural barrier also traditionally assigns the roles of care giving and household responsibilities to the woman. Therefore, this limits their time for professional development, and digital professions tend to demand more time commitment.
Although the trend is changing, we still have a scarcity of role models in the form of female tech leaders and entrepreneurs which makes it harder for young women to envision technology careers.
How soon do you envision Nigeria having its own Silicon Valley?
I am really not sure we need to have ‘Silicon Valley’ in Nigeria (smiles). Remember that Silicon Valley is a region in California, serving as a global centre for high technology and innovation. However, Nigeria has the potential to develop its own global innovation centre much sooner than many might expect. With the rapid growth of innovation tech hubs and emerging ecosystems across the country, coupled with the increasing government and private sector investments in digital infrastructure, we could see a well-established tech-driven economy within five to 10 years. To accelerate this timeline, we must prioritize expanding internet access, ease of doing business to encourage more investments, curriculum revamp to strengthen STEM education starting from basic education level, etc.
Many Nigerian youths are technologically savvy, but some use these skills negatively, which has harmed Nigeria’s image internationally. How do you think the government can better harness the skills of these youths?
First it is important to tackle the problem from the roots by addressing the underlying economic motivations while providing accessible alternatives that harness these technical skills positively, both for individual advancement and national development.
The government should adopt constructive approaches to redirect our tech-savvy youths towards positive contributions. Most of them generally desire for some income before now adopting flamboyant lifestyles based on the amount of illicit money they realise from cybercrimes.
Government should expand legitimate tech education and certification programmes that are affordable and accessible, in order to create clear pathways to legitimate careers. We need to establish tech hubs and innovation centres across our campuses and within communities where youth can develop skills, connect with mentors, and access resources for legitimate entrepreneurship.
Another approach is to partner with international tech companies to create local employment opportunities and apprenticeships with competitive salaries. However, this should be supported with commensurate investment in digital infrastructure to improve internet access and reliability, making legitimate remote work more viable. We cannot underplay the role of outreach in positive reinforcement. Government should create continuous public awareness campaigns to highlight success stories of Nigerian tech professionals and entrepreneurs who have built successful legitimate careers from tech. Finally, I will suggest legal reforms where the cybercrime laws will focus on rehabilitation rather than solely punishment.
Many students have applied to study cyber security lately. What makes this course special?
The BSc in Cybersecurity is becoming increasingly popular due to several compelling reasons which is a combination of global demand, accessibility, income potential and career sustainability. Cybersecurity professionals are in high demand worldwide, providing strong salary potentials, and this creates an accessible international career opportunities irrespective of the country of origin.
Secondly, the field provides location-independent job opportunities that allows our graduates to earn international salaries even while living in Nigeria. Another reason is that there are several career progression paths with various specializations in cybersecurity (network security, application security, forensics). There are more, but these are some of the reasons for the increased demand for the course.
When you’re not teaching, how do you relax or what do you do for fun?
I love to cook. I experiment with different recipes by creating my own or recreating the ones that I see elsewhere. I love to read. The works of Sydney Sheldon and John Grisham are some of my favourites.
Some people have expressed concerns about the proliferation of universities in Nigeria. How would you respond to this?
We do not have proliferation of universities in Nigeria. The truth is that the current number of universities (both public and private) is not enough to accommodate the growing demands for university education in the country. Available information from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) shows that almost every year, less than 50% of admission seekers are admitted into their courses of choice. This necessitates the need to expand access to university education.
Government primary and secondary schools were once considered the best, yet many parents now choose not to send their children to these institutions. Do you think government universities are following this trend?
There is no denying the concerning parallels between what happened with elementary schools’ system and what we are seeing in higher education today. Public universities that were once the unquestioned leaders in Nigerian education are facing significant challenges ranging from infrastructure deficiencies to funding shortfalls and frequent disruptions from strikes. However, there is no denying the fact that except for a few, they still maintain certain advantages, particularly in research capabilities, established academic traditions, and affordability compared to private alternatives.
Many of our most accomplished faculty and brightest students still choose public institutions. The critical issue is not whether government universities are declining but rather how we can revitalize them. This requires a multi-faceted approach: sustainable funding models, administrative reforms, stronger industry partnerships, curriculum modernization, and improved student services.
Rather than accepting decline as inevitable, we need collaborative efforts between government, academic leadership, and private sector partners to strengthen these institutions. We must recognise that our public universities remain essential to ensuring educational access for all Nigerian students, regardless of economic background; therefore we should focus on transformation rather than continuing to draw the parallel.