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Tag: VC

  • Ajisafe appointed ABUAD VC

    Ajisafe appointed ABUAD VC

    Prof Micheal Ajisafe would be presiding over the third convocation of the six-year old Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) as the substantive Vice Chancellor.

    The Board of Trustees and the Council of ABUAD, has equally directed Ajisafe, the first professor of Sports Science in Africa, to resume having been in acting capacity for 21 months following the expiration of the tenure of ABUAD pioneer Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sidi Osho.

    Equally, the Director of Academic Planning, Prof. Yekini Lawal, has been appointed Ajisafe’s Deputy (Academics), while the Provost, College of Law, Mrs. Smaranda Olarinde, is the Deputy, Administration. They have assumed office with immediate effect.

    Rising from a meeting of the Council of the University in Ado-Ekiti, its Pro Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Prof Iyorwuese Hagher, said Ajisafe, a foundation staff of the university, was deserving of his new designation “in appreciation of his scholarship and immense contributions to the growth of the university since its inception in 2010.”

    Until his appointment as Acting VC last year, Ajisafe had doubled as DVC and the Provost, College of Sciences.

    After obtaining a PhD in Sports Science from Temple University in Philadelphia, U.S.A, Ajisafe returned to Nigeria and joined the University of Ife (Adeyemi College of Education) where he pioneered the establishment of the Department of Sports Science.

    He taught in the UI between 1975 to 1977 before he moved over to the University of Benin (UNIBEN) where he also pioneered the establishment of the Sports Science Department and was equally made the Head of Department and later Dean of Education of UNIBEN for six and three years respectively. For five years, he was Director at the National Institute of Sports (NIS) Lagos.

    Among his notable achievements in all his years of University assignments, was the formulation of a standardized curriculum of Sports Science for Secondary Schools in Nigeria for the West African Examination Council (WAEC). He initiated linkage agreement between the University of Benin and the Temple University, Philadelphia, thus bringing Temple’s M.Ed Degree Programmes to UNIBEN.

    Ajisafe is a member of very distinguished Academic and Professional Associations in Sports Science across the globe.

    Lawal, a pioneer staff of ABUAD, is a professor of Business Administration. He was the pioneer Acting Provost of the College of Social and Management Sciences and the pioneer Director of Academic Planning.

    Lawal, who obtained his Masters and Doctor of Philosophy of Business Administration from the University of Benin after his HND (Distinction) in Mechanical Engineering from Yaba College of Technology. He specialises in Operations Research and Quantitative Analysis. His research focus is on production and investment generation.

    He is a registered member of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), and other professional bodies.

    Olarinde is a Reader and Fellow of Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies and currently the Acting Provost, College of Law of the University. She has put in about 30 years of service as a teacher, academic, researcher and legal practitioner. Little wonder the Council of Legal Education described her as a hardworking and highly focused person.

     

  • VC counsels new students on time management

    Newly-admitted students of Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State have been advised to use their time wisely to fulfill their purpose of study.

    Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the University, Prof. Kunle Oloyede, gave the advice while addressing the students at an orientation programme organised by the Student Affairs Unit.

    He cautioned that if they failed to use their time judiciously, they would find it difficult to achieve academic excellence.

    Oloyede urged them to think creatively, plan and implement with the guidance of their lecturers and other members of staff ready to assist them.

    The VC, who described them as drivers of their destiny, enjoined them to drop any “passenger” that would not allow them to arrive at their desired destinations.

    Also speaking, the Registrar, Mr. Omololu Adegbenro, advised the students to always adhere to school rules and regulations. He warned that the University would not hesitate to sanction any student found wanting in morals.

    Adegbenro encouraged them to always seek advice from their mentors and the Counseling Unit of the university on matters bordering on their academic and personal lives.

     

  • VC seeks more public varsities

    Vice Chancellor, Federal University, Wukari, Prof Geoffrey Okogbaa, has called on the Federal Government to create more universities to cater for the growing population of admission seekers.

    Okogbaa, who spoke while receiving a coalition of civil society organisations under the aegis of Joint Action Coalition of Civil Society Groups, said the creation of additional public universities by the past administration had gone a long way to reduce the psychological trauma of rejection by qualified candidates who were not admitted.

    “One thing you cannot take away from the Jonathan administration is the fact that he gave education priority attention. The universities he established in all six geopolitical zones has gone a long way to reduce the psychological trauma, rejection and destruction of dreams being faced by many helpless Nigerians in the past. No number of universities is too much for our ever growing population,” he said.

    Okogbaa, however, implored the government to adequately fund the existing ones.

    The Joint Action Coalition of Civil Society Groups honoured Okogbaa with the “Man of the Year 2015” award, which the leader, Isaac Ikpa, said was “due to his sterling performance” at the university.

    He added that the university was adjudged the “fastest growing school in Nigeria” because of the tenacity with which the Vice Chancellor pursued infrastructural development, accreditation of courses, recruitment of workers, and others.

    While receiving the award, the Vice Chancellor said as a public servant, he gave “service back to the people” and not in search of recognition.

     

  • Varsity’ll be famous, says new VC

    Varsity’ll be famous, says new VC

    The new Vice Chancellor (VC), Ajayi Crowther University (ACU), Prof. Dapo Asaju, has unfolded his plan to make the institution rise to the level of Bishop Ajayi Crowther’s fame and towering image within and outside Nigeria.

    He said this while addressing reporters after a church service to mark his resumption in office at the weekend.

    He said: “My major goal is to implement the vision of the founding fathers of this university. Ajayi Crowther, as a bishop, was an extra-ordinary man. In terms of vision, he improved Christianity in Yoruba land, Niger Delta and Igbo land. He had passion for education and his love for education and morals was incomparable. He was a great man. So, after 32 years as a university lecturer, I have the opportunity to be the Vice-Chancellor of this great university. I will do my best to see it attain the greatness it deserves.”

    Calling on staff members to cooperate with him in moving the institution forward, Asaju said he came with the mind to learn and serve, stressing that everybody’s good ideas were needed to consolidate on the successes already made by his predecessors.

    “This appointment is for me a very humble opportunity to come here to serve. I come with the mind to learn and listen. I am not a magician. I come purely with an open mind. I will interact with staff and we shall generate ideas together. I know what God has told me to do and we shall do it.

    “I did not come here because of any ambition. I was offered this job five years ago but turned it down. I have been supervising the PG School that produces 500 priests yearly in Abeokuta. So, it is God’s time for me to come here,” he said.

    Asaju, who is the third vice chancellor to head the institution, also unfolded his specific plan to start a medical college in collaboration with the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. The plan received a wide applause from workers and students.

    Earlier in his sermon, the Rt. Rev. O. O. Oduntan, urged Asaju to see his new assignment as God’s work because leading the university was both a spiritual and academic task.

    The cleric assured Asaju that God’s presence would go with him in the new assignment.

    Taking his text from Exodus 33, Oduntan emphasised that God’s presence facilitates righteousness and attracts favour and rest in the course of the assignment.

    Oduntan also emphasised that God’s presence would distinguish him and enable him to achieve the goals in his heart. He urged the university community to cooperate with him for all-round success.

  • Dangote to develop Kano varsity’s agric master plan, says VC

    Dangote to develop Kano varsity’s agric master plan, says VC

    African richest man Alhaji Aliko Dangote is partnering Kano University of Science and Technology (KUST), Wudil, Kano, to develop its agricultural master plan.

    Its Vice Chancellor, Prof Shehu Alhaji Musa, made this known at a briefing on the 15th Anniversary of the university.

    He said Dangote, who is Pro-Chancellor of the university, is keen in seeing to the development of the university’s faculty.

    “The plan is in the pipeline and we have already started clearing way for the new project. When the master plan is achieved, it can cater for one million farmers. That will bring succour to our agriculture. We can also have reliable food security with its attending benefits,” Musa said.

    Dangote, who is president of Dangote Group of Companies, the VC added, pledged to also construct industrial borehole that could cater for 30,000 people.

    “Apart from these contributions, he pledged to give a support of N100million to the university to inject in other projects,” the VC said.

    “For your information, Alhaji  Dangote has promised to employ 15 professors for the university and promised to pay for their salary for four years. This will bring tremendous development for the state. Academically, this assistance will improve our institution and the state in general,’’ the VC added.

    Other contributions made to the  varsity by Dangote are the building of two 500-bedroom hostels for males and females, he said.

    The VC added that Dangote completed 12 new projects, handling 36 ongoing ones and four others four at tender stages.

    “Thirty one academic staff are sent for PhD programme – 22  abroad and nine within Nigeria. So far, we have nine Professors and 14 Readers as academic staff. We also have 49 Visiting Professors, “ he added.

     

  • VC thanks Zenith Bank

    The Vice Chancellor, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, Prof Igbekele Ajibefun, has thanked Zenith Bank for donating a workstation to the university.

    The portakabin was being used by the bank for skeletal services before relocating to its branch on the campus last year.

    The university’s Director of Physical Planning and Development, Mr Emmanuel Orimoloye, who represented the Vice Chancellor, thanked Zenith Bank for the generous donation.

    He commended the bank for renovating the facility before the donation.

    The bank’s zonal Head in charge of Ondo, Ekiti and Kwara states, Mr. Abiodun Oshode, said the donation was a token in appreciation of the good relationship it has enjoyed with the university.

    Zenith Bank has been operating on the campus since February 2008.

  • TETFund grants are sustaining public varsities, says VC

    Vice Chancellor, Federal University Otuoke, (FUO), Prof Mobolaji Aluko, has said the government’s higher institutions would have collapsed if not for the cash from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

    He spoke when TETFund took members of the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ECAN) on a tour of TETFund projects in FUO, University of Benin, Auchi Polytechnic, Ambrose Ali University, College of Education, Agbo, Delta State University, Abraka and Federal University of Petroleum Resources in Effurun, Delta State.

    He said over 90 per cent of projects in institutions were funded by TETFund.

    Aluko, and other managers, however, pleaded for easier process to implement TETFund projects to avoid delay.

    He said: “When TETFund allocates money to you, it is sure that you will get it. Without TETFund, many universities and other institutions would have gone underground. It means they may not function again.

    “Universities have been pleading to TETFund to allow us de-batch periodically so that one project will not delay another. Give us 85 per cent at the beginning.  The fact that they give us 50 per cent does not mean that we give the contractors the entire 50 per cent. We still give them based on valuation, so that we do not have to come back several times.That has been another problem.’’

    He continued: “Another problem is that they wouldn’t give you money if you have not retired the initial money.This causes trouble because once TETFund has allocated money to you, it will always be yours but that means that there will be a lot of money accumulated in TETFund for various institutions without access and you will also understand that vice chancellors change, physical planning directors change at different times and we get all these projects at different times.

    “I will tell you administering TETFund projects are difficult; so, if you do not have a good history of recurrence you can get confused. Many of the projects are confusingly tagged. The only things that differentiate them are the dates of allocation. TETFund must label the allocations better so that they themselves can monitor and it will also help us to monitor our projects.

    “TETFund has three special accounts; they are special projects account, normal intervention account and academic support account.  TETFund should give us more flexibility so that projects will move on. We are major beneficiaries of TETFund projects that are going on. We used TETFund money to upgrade many of the buildings in the university. To start up the university in 2012, we had to use TETFund money for renovations, buy vehicles and do roads. Our lectures have also gone on several trainings.”

    On why Chief Executive Officers (CEO) are excluded from the human capacity training by TETFund according to complaints by them during the inspection of projects, Aluko said: “We are the ones who made the decision for CEO of universities, polytechnics and colleges of Education not to be part of funds meant to train lecturers in various institutions. I support the exclusion. I go to conference if I want; nobody stops me. Why should I again be fighting with other staff over TETFund money for training when I can make a decision to go to other countries for training? I do not see that as an issue.”

    Other CEOs of the institutions the journalists visited during the tour attested to the fact that TETFund intervention fund has affected the institutions positively.

     

  • Why people must take healthy food, by VC

    The food people eat will determine how healthy they are, a don has said. Prof Lawal Suleiman Bilbis of Federal University, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, was delivering the 16th Inaugural Lecture of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Sokoto (UDUS) with the theme: Antioxidants in the service of man.

    The event, held at the university auditorium, started with a procession of body of principal officers led by the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Abdullahi Zuru.

    In his opening remark, the VC said inaugural lecture was an important occasion to celebrate the promotion and appointment of lecturers as professors. He said it was also a platform for lecturers to contribute to the nation’s development.

    Bilbis, a professor of Biochemistry and pioneer VC of the Federal University, Birnin Kebbi, said the lecture detailed his activities in the last 13 years, he was appointed a professor and what he intended to do.

    He further defined antioxidants as compounds that inhibit or prevent oxidation process, which are essential ingredients for the delay of diabetes.

    Noting that food remained the source of antioxidants, the lecturer said he had carried out induced stroke in experimental animal model, which he reversed with the use of food supplementary.

    He said deficiency of antioxidants was responsible for a 2010 report, which estimated that about 285 million adults battled diabetes globally. He said Africa had the largest proportional increase. He added that diabetes prevalence in the world could reach 7.7 per cent, which could make adults susceptible to be dreaded disease. The solution, he said, remained the intake of healthy food that would increase production of antioxidants to prevent diseases.

    Zuru hailed the lecturer for the research, saying the lecture would help to increase awareness about healthy living. He, thereafter, presented a gift to Prof Bilbis for making the school proud.

    Guests at the event included Bursar, Federal University Birnin Kebbi, Alhaji Rilwan Argungu, the school Director of Research, Prof Yakubu Aliyu, and immediate past VC of UDUS, Prof Riskuwa Arabu Shehu, among others.

  • VC seeks govt funding for private varsities

    The Vice Chancellor of Al-Hikmah University, Prof Mohammed Ibrahim has urged governments all levels to grant special subventions to private universities in the country.

    The professor of community medicine also called on the federal government to allow private universities to benefit from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund). Ibrahim spoke last weekend in Ilorin during the 5th convocation of the institution.

    He said Al-Hikmah University produced 817 graduates with 17 persons in the first class category.

    He added that the decay at the tertiary level of Nigeria’s educational system makes it imperative to address the funding and infrastructural requirements of the country’s universities.

    Ibrahim said: “I would like to call on our governments at all levels to wake up to the challenges posed by the declining quality and funding of education in Nigeria; the quality of teaching and research also needs to be given serious attention if our universities are to remain enviable citadels of learning and scholarship.

    “The overwhelming significance of the supportive role of private individuals and organizations in providing quality education to our youths cannot be overemphasized. Considering the enormous amount of financial requirement to fund university education, and non-profit vision of education as social service, it is highly imperative and therefore my plea and prayer to governments at all levels to consider granting some subvention to private universities in the country.”

    Prof Ibrahim said the new graduands are from the university’s six colleges and 54 diploma programmes.

    Breaking down the number of graduands, the vice chancellor said “217 are from our college of humanities and social science; 236 from the college of management sciences; 318 from the college of natural sciences and 18 from the college of education.

    “Of this figure 17 (2.1 percent) in first class (honours); 183 (22.4 percent) are second class (honours) upper division; 313 (38.4 percent) are in second class (honours) upper division; 273 (33.4 percent) are in third class (honours) division and 31 (3.8 percent) with pass degree.”

     

  • Chancellor, VC are CSAN fellows

    Chancellor, VC are CSAN fellows

    Pro-Chancellor of McPherson University in Ogun State, Israel Adu, and the Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof Adeniyi Agunbiade, have been inducted as fellows of the prestigious Post-graduate College of Animal Science of Nigeria (CSAN).

    By their admission, the duo joined Prof Placid Njoku and 40 other eminent scholars in over 30 tertiary institutions in the college. The inductees will have the right to use ‘FCASN’ titles after their names, the highest honour of the discipline in the country.

    The induction was performed during a four-day Joint Animal Meeting (JAM) and conference held at the University of Ibadan (UI) International Conference Centre, last week.

    ASAN President, Mr. A. T. Adeoye, urged the fellows not to relent in bringing out ideas and knowledge that would move the discipline forward. He urged state governments to create departments of Animal Production as pioneered by Gombe State to produce more professionals in the discipline.

    This, he said, would serve as viable alternative to oil and create a large, strong and competitive economy that would guarantee good standard of living and quality of life.

    Adu, who also doubled as NIAS president, said the Institute had received governments’ backing, noting that the law establishing the body had been amended. He said the body have the objective to isolate quacks in the profession, adding that nine universities would start Post-graduate programme in Animal Science.

    Prof Agunbiade said NIAS has been promoting knowledge in all aspects of animal production and providing a forum for the discussion of scientific, social and educational challenges relevant to the development of animal production in Nigeria. He said he would collaborate with other fellows to make the Institute set a higher standard to meet up with advanced countries.

    The VC praised Prof Adu, who he described as “exceptional servant leader” for his contribution to the development of the body, adding that Pro-chancellor had spent his life engaging in publication of scientific and educational materials related to animal production.

    He said: “I thank the Institute for this honour and recognition. So far, Prof Adu has drawn foreign assistance with a view to collaborating with the Institute in capacity building and cross fertilisation of ideas to increase expertise.”

    About 600 fellows were inducted as graduate members, associate members and registered members of the body.