The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ignatius Onimawo

  • Edo maps out strategies to combat malnutrition

    Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo on Wednesday inaugurated the state’s Food and Nutrition Committee to ensure a sustainable road map towards identifying and encouraging the consumption of healthy food in the state.

    Speaking before inauguration at Government House in Benin, the governor said: “we are concerned about the health status and nutrition of our people, particularly the very young ones and the old people’’.

    “Eating nutritious food goes a long way in maintaining a healthy lifestyle that is why this committee is important.

    “We are aware that there is a connection between nutrition, preventive medicine, girl-child education, women empowerment and childhood development,’’ Obaseki said.

    He directed the committee to identify the problems of nutrition in the state, coordinate efforts in improving nutrition and to ensure adequate resource allocation to address malnutrition issues.

    “The committee has the mandate to identify efforts already put in place by various institutions to tackle malnutrition in the state and to review the strategies to tackle it and their impact on the society.’’

    The governor called for working synergy among the various stakeholders in the food and nutrition sector to avoid duplication of programmes and allow for optimal use of resources.

    Read Also: Edo begins upgrade of Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium

    In her remarks, the Chairman of the committee, Mrs Vera Obadan, the Permanent Secretary, state Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, commended the governor for setting up the committee.

    Obadan, who was represented by the Vice-Chairman of the committee, Prof Ignatius Onimawo, the Vice-Chancellor of Ambrose Alli University, said good nutrition is key to human development.

    She said that the bedrock of nutrition is breastfeeding, regretting that the breast feeding rate in the country was low.

    The chairman assured that the committee would do a lot of information dissemination to educate mothers on the importance of breast feeding in ensuring early childhood development.

    Obadan requested that the governor’s wife, Mrs Betsy Obaseki, be made one of the champions of good nutrition in the state.

    The News men reports that the members of the committee are drawn from relevant stakeholders in the private and public institutions in the food and nutrition sector.

    NAN

  • Universities not established for jobs creation – Obaseki

    Universities not established for jobs creation – Obaseki

    The Edo Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, said universities in the country were not established for jobs creation, but to advance learning, promote research and build character of students.

    Obaseki made the assertion on Saturday at the second day of the 21st Convocation Ceremony of the Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma.

    The governor said that most universities had deviated from their primary aim of promoting research and development and concentrated on having too many non-academic staff.

    “The university needs all levels of supportive staff, but the current practice where the number of non-academic staff outweighed the numbers of academic staff and researchers is not acceptable, not tenable and unsustainable.

    “Universities should through investment, efficient management of funds, partnership with the private and government sectors, grants from international bodies and Alumni association, thrive to be self-sustaining,’’ he said.

    Obaseki said that with the current recession, universities should not shy away from getting rid of their redundant and unproductive staff in the various faculties.

    “Universities should be able to check waste and corruption and stop relying on the government for subvention, because the government is almost broke,’’ he advised.

    The governor tasked the nation’s university authorities to engage in publication of journals, innovations and technology advancement of students to make them relevant in the present world of ICT.

    The university Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ignatius Onimawo, said that the institution had achieved numerous successes in the areas of fibre optic technology, infrastructural development, internally generated revenue and accreditation of 64 programmes.

    Onimawo listed areas of need to include partnership in investment ventures such as in agriculture going by the vast arable land and dam to boost the institution’s revenue.

    Others were perimeter fencing of the school, construction and tarring of roads within the campus, building of the vice-chancellor’s lodge, completion of the administrative building and provision of more students’ accommodation.

    The Chancellor, His Highness, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, the Etsu Nupe of Bida, attributed the university’s giant strides to the enabling environment provided by the state governor, saying that available resources would be judiciously utilised.

    The chancellor also commended the governor for mobilising the contractors working on the administrative building back to site, saying that completion of the project would solve the problems of office accommodation.

    The governor was installed as the 15th visitor of the institution by the state Chief Judge, Justice Eseohe Ikponmwan.

    There was also presentation of honourary degrees on Chief Tony Elumelu (Business Administration), Dr Mathew Okpebholo (Engineering) and Dr Robson Momoh (Literature).

    The university awarded Post-graduate Degrees to 130 graduands with a breakdown of 40 Post-graduate Diploma, 76 Masters Degrees and 14 Doctorate Degrees, while 2,265 graduands were on Friday awarded First Degrees.

  • AAU to become best state-owned Nigerian varsity, says VC

    AAU to become best state-owned Nigerian varsity, says VC

    Prof. Ignatius Onimawo,  the Vice-Chancellor of the Ambrose Ali University (AAU), Ekpoma in Edo, says the institution will digitise its operations to a world class level by 2020, making it the best state-owned university  in Nigeria.

    Onimawo made this known in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Benin,, saying the university also looked forward to being among the country’s best 10 higher institutions

    He said, “It is my vision to make AAU the best state-owned university and one of the best 10 higher institutions in the country in the next three years.

    “The way to go about that is to fully digitise the operations of the institution to a world class level.

    “We have really made our mark in the area of academic excellence. We may not have done well in terms of infrastructure ; but we are seriously improving on the landscape.

    “On my assumption of duty, I realised that the university needs to have a particular vision that everybody will key into and pursue; because if you have no vision, you will not have the mission.

    “So, my vision has been and it is still that before I leave here at the end of my tenure, AAU will be among the 10 best universities in Nigeria and the best state university in the country.

    “We are actually on the path of doing that, and we are doing so many things that many older universities are not doing.’’

    He said that there were criteria for ranking universities and expressed confidence that the institution would soon make it into the class of choice universities.

    Listing some of the criteria, he said, “One is internet visibility. How interactive is your website with the outside world and how current is it?

    “So, anybody that wants to rank AAU must first and foremost, go to our website, click on it and what he or she is seeing there.

    “Secondly, the use of ICT, where we have excelled. We won the best university in ICT compliance. So, this too, can take us up from wherever we were before.

    “The other is the academic programmes that the university has, particularly, the post-graduate programmes.”

    The vice chancellor said the university had many post-graduate programmes, with almost all departments accredited by NUC being among those running such programmes.

    “Post-graduate programmes are related to research. So, if you have a robust post-graduate programme, it can be assumed that some researches are going on in that institution.

    “These are some of the things that they normally use; but there could be other criteria.

    “I want to believe that when you look at it, they may have seen lots of improvement in the areas of our visibility and the inter activeness of our website, our ICT and all that,’’ he said.

    Onimawo disclosed that some of the innovations of his about eleven months old administration include introduction of the paperless senate sessions, computer-based students’ session examinations and the conduct of E-SUG election.

    He said AAU was currently conducting computer-based examination for 100 and 200 level students.

    “This will obviously eliminate vices of sexual harassment, delay in release of results, missing results and blocking syndrome.

    “Our results are uploaded in our websites as soon as the examinations are over.

    “And because of the high internet visibility, we also recently successfully conducted an E-students’ union government election, whereby students voted electronically with their smart phones from their various locations.

    “The exercise, the first of its kind in any higher institution in Nigeria, was hitch-free and was monitored by NANS president.

    “There is so much progress in the area of ICT and very soon we are going to join the NG-Realm. NG-Realm is a platform where you can connect with other universities in Nigeria and you can do video conference,” Onimawo said.

    The vice-chancellor said the institution had also recorded several other feats.

    “We have had a lot of awards. You know there was a time they said AAU could not keep records.

    “But, today, we won the best financial accounting institution in Nigeria. So, our books are open because we have a good accounting system using the latest ICT,’’ he said.

  • Ambrose Ali varsity to boost IGR – VC

    Ambrose Ali varsity to boost IGR – VC

    Prof. Ignatius Onimawo, the Vice Chancellor, Ambrose Ali University(AAU), Ekpoma, says the institution will boost  its Internally Generated  Revenue (IGR)  mechanism to ensure regular payment of salaries.

    Onimawo  said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) on Wednesday in Ekpoma.

    He  said  management would   shore up  the institution’s  IGR to augment the short fall from the state government subvention rather than pay half salaries to workers.

    Onimawo added that his administration  would not allow the current financial difficulty to affect the high academic standard  the institution  was known for through avoidable industrial action.

    “We have decided to ensure that management engages and interacts with both staff and students on their welfare,’’ he said.

    According to him, the area likely to bring about confrontation is non payment of salaries.

    “We  are therefore determined not to allow the monthly shortfall in subvention affect the smooth operation  of the system.

    “Our monthly subvention is about N440 million and we get about 250 million from government while the balance is from our IGR,’’ he said.

    Onimawo said  the vision of his administration was to position the university to be the best state university and one of the best 10 universities  in Nigeria.

    “We came in with a lot of zeal to move fast on IGR.

    “Our fish pond is functional and before the end of March, the university’s bakery will become fully functional while our bottled water factory has been re-energised to produce more.

    “Our integrated  farm project is doing well and right now, we want to partner the state government on  rice production and other arable crops.

    “We have a dam on the campus that can make all year farming possible. So, these are all sources of  income for the university.

    “All am saying is that IGR from AAU  is a component of school fees, other fees and other sources of revenue. These are helping us to keep afloat from wherever we were before now.

    “We are not doing very well, but we are not complaining.

    “ The thing is that we have been able to pay full salaries  up to date. Even very many federal universities that manage to pay full salaries are not able to pay excess workloads.

    “We are paying it along with our salaries. So, I must say we have done really quite well on this  aspect,” he said.

     

  • AAU denies cases of admission racketeering, sexual harassment

    AAU denies cases of admission racketeering, sexual harassment

    The authority of Ambrose Ali University (AAU) Ekpoma in Edo, says neither a case of sexual harassment nor admission racketeering exits in the institution.

    Its Vice- Chancellor, Prof. Ignatius Onimawo made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Ekpoma.

    According to him, the AAU engages in a monthly prayer session for sound spiritual development and to eliminate cases of sexual harassment in the institution.

    “There has not been any reported case of sexual harassment or admission racketeering in the institution.

    “But if there has been any case, it has never been brought to the attention of the school authority.

    “It is the vision of this administration to position the university to be the best state university and one of the best 10 universities in Nigeria.’’

    He said that admission racketeering had become “an anathema in the AAU as the system put in place does not allow such act at all’’.

    “We give admission to applicants on merit, and the system is so robust that no staff has the chance to play on the intelligence of any student seeking admission.

    “But some of the few cases brought before the authority were promptly dealt with and the staffers involved were sanctioned,’’ he said.

    Onimawo assured the staff and students as well as the host community of the institution’s determination to run an open and transparent administration.