The Nation Newspaper

Tag: VC

  • VC urges engineers on entrepreneurial mindset

    University of Ilorin Vice Chancellor Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem has advised engineers to always approach their projects with an entrepreneurial mindset.

    Abdulkareem gave the advice in his welcome address at the fourth edition of the National Engineering Project Exhibition (EPEX), which held at the university.

    He explained that having an entrepreneurial mindset would help in solving the problems facing the nation and provide jobs for a large number of jobless and frustrated youth.

    “The VC pointed out that Nigeria and other countries are looking for solutions to their peculiar challenges and engineering projects are key ingredients of those solutions.’’

    According to him, the exhibition is a platform to showcase and demonstrate the best of various innovative engineering projects undertaken by undergraduates in Nigeria.

    He said the programme was expected to stimulate the innovative and technical skills of students and to motivate them.

    “EPEX offers engineering students opportunities to develop independent critical thinking skills, collaborative working skills, oral and written communication and presentation skills as well as marketing skills, thereby building their confidence.

    “The programme is expected to reward the engineering students, and assure them that the society still values excellence,” he said.

    According to the VC, the undergraduate project is considered to be an important part of the engineering education process and one of the major processes of independent research that a student will undertake.

    “The engineering projects improve innovative spirit, make transformation of theory to applications possible, enrich  knowledge on renewing technologies, prepare you for career path, remind you of your responsibilities to your society, boost curiosities and love for studies and improve team building and problem-solving skills and many more,” he said.

     

     

     

     

     

  • UI to meet parents, guardians, students on fee increase, says VC

    •Varsity subsidises accommodation with N100m’

    The management of University of Ibadan (UI) said yesterday that it was concluding arrangement to facilitate Senate/Parents Management Consultative Forum with workers, students, parents and guardians.

    It said this was to discuss the rationale behind the slight adjustment in accommodation fees.

    The meeting, slated for tomorrow, is to among others, douse tension over the decision.

    The Senate had recommended increment in hostel fee from N14, 000 to N30,000 for main campus and N40,000 for College of Medicine with effect from 2017/2018 academic session.

    Noting the stifled funding from the Federal Government to cater for utilities, the management said it spent about N100 million yearly to augment what was collected in running the hostels, adding that this was no longer sustainable.

    The Nation learnt that while students at present paid N14,000 per bed space, the partial economic rate per bed space, according to a 2012 survey conducted by the institution, was put at N59,650 per session.

    Vice Chancellor Prof. Idowu Olayinka had said the institution was at a crossroads because managing the hostel based on the old rate was not sustainable, adding that only 30 per cent of the students were accommodated on campus, as the opportunity for hostel accommodation was optional.

    The Senate also approved increment in fees for laboratory and studio arts (N5,000); maintenance fees; fees for professional health training (non-clinical (N75,000) and clinical N100,000); pharmacy practice experience levy (N5,000); science laboratory levy (N7,500); Faculty of Agriculture (N5,000 to N7,500); renewable natural resources upward review of the practical year levy (N15,000 to N17,500) for those in practical year; while other students are to pay the old levy.

    Other items which attract upward review include access fee for undergraduates (from N2,000 to N2,500) for improved Internet access on campus.

    However, fees payable by students in the Faculties of Social Sciences, Law, Sciences and Technology have not been adjusted.

    Prof. Olayinka said: “The university is at a point where it is difficult to continue to subside the running of halls of residence and carry out academic functions without a slight adjustment in accommodation charges and in some fees payable by students in some faculties.

    “We urge the public to note that it is only the increase in accommodation fees that cuts across students who desire to stay in the halls of residence. Residency in the hall is optional and only about 30 per cent of our students can find accommodation in the halls of residence.

    “It is also important to note that the Federal Government, years ago, had stopped providing funds for the running of the halls. As a result, the university spends about N100 million over what is collected as accommodation fees for the running of the halls.

    “The university is no longer in a capacity to continue to provide this subvention. It has been very objective in adjusting other fees. For instance, fees were only adjusted for students in the Faculties of Arts, Agriculture, Renewable Natural Resources and Pharmacy. Even in these faculties, the fees are limited to categories of students requiring academic service for which an increase has been approved.

    “Let us give two examples. For instance, only 400 level students in the Faculties of Agriculture and Renewable Natural Resources are to pay additional N2,500. These are students in their practical year. Other students in the faculties are not to pay these fees. In the Faculty of Arts also, only 200 and 300 level students in six departments are to pay the studio maintenance fees. Students in departments without studios are exempted from these fees.”

     

  • VC: OAU ICT Park’ll align skills with job market

    The Obafemi Awolowo University ICT Knowledge Park (OAK-Park), African Centre of Excellence (ACE), Ife, Nigeria was designed to address the dearth of information communication technology (ICT) personnel in the country, the Vice Chancellor, Prof Eyitope Ogunbodede, has said.

    Speaking with The Nation on the sideline of a one-day forum tagged: Academia/Industry Engagement at Lagos Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, he said over the years, the skills available have not been speaking to available jobs in the market.

    According to him, the system has placed so much emphasis on the theoretical aspect of learning. He added that the ACE, backed with the World Bank, will bring about a paradigm shift as students would be exposed to practical aspect of engineering programmes.

    “Job creation is the crucial thing for us. What has been happening over the years is that we have been so theoretical in our approach. But the ACE programme, we are introducing the practical day-to-day aspects of engineering to our students. We are, through this project, sending our students to the industry for practical experience and we are also bringing in captains of industry to also talk to the students because we have laboratories where they have equipment to develop their own projects; we have incubators where they could stay and advance whatever they have developed before it will be commercialised. This is more of a deviation from the past and a movement towards practical exposure as opposed to the theoretical framework that people have been emphasising.

    “We already have 15 post-graduate programmes running including cybersecurity and other newer areas of ICT,” Prof Ogunbodede said.

    Also speaking, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, OAU, Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi said the ACE project is a World Bank sponsored initiative to rapidly build capacity in Africa in some identified domains of knowledge, adding that OAU is one of the 16 centres in Africa being supported by the global bank.

    He said the OAU ACE aims to create a regionally-recognised and acknowledged model that is driven by high quality postgraduate education for uptake and commercialisation of research and technology to advance the growth of ICT industry. The centre is actively providing launch pad for start-up companies borne out of university research activities, and collaboration with partnering ICT companies especially along Lagos axis, who will have the competitive advantage of proximity and direct access to the intellectual infrastructure and output of the university.

    “The ACE project is to develop a centre of excellence in ICT as a training hub in software engineering for   Nigeria and other countries in the sub-region; develop the next generation of scientists, researchers, teachers, entrepreneurs and product developers in the area of ICT through appropriate practice-anchored capacity building measures and enrolling new postgraduate students from Nigeria and the sub-region; stimulate creativity and excellence in research and innovation in ICT applicable to other fields and related to regional developmental objectives, in postgraduate students, with opportunities for industrial research uptake through the centre model; expand learning opportunities for postgraduate students in all the sectors, by deploying existing and new developments in ICT, for which OAU is leading in the sub-region, ,” he said.

    According to Dr Ogunbiyi, a major component of the project is the linkage between academia and industry hence this engagement, adding that the forum will stimulate a more robust engagement between the university and industry; and birth a new thinking in the relationship between university, industry and government.

    He said: “We want to create a platform where OAU and the industries here can jointly identify challenges plaguing our society and through well-grounded research provides solutions to the identified challenges. The intent here is that such solutions be innovative and can be commercialised.   There is an emerging OAU Knowledge Park from the Africa Centre of Excellence project. “

  • UNIOSUN will not pay staff on strike —VC

    UNIOSUN will not pay staff on strike —VC

    The Vice Chancellor of the Osun State University, Osogbo, Osun State, (UNIOSUN) Professor Labode Popoola has said that any of the staff of the university who join the ongoing strike by Non Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU), will not be paid for the period of the strike.

    Briefing newsmen over the strike, the Vice Chancellor noted that he had met with workers several times on the issue and others and made the financial position of the university known to them adding that non-academic unions members are not the only body affected.

    Popoola who blamed the inability of the university to pay the money on paucity of funds noted that despite the financial situation of the university, salaries were paid promptly, a situation he said does not obtain in most state universities across the country.

    According to him, the university is being funded through the Internally Generated Revenue, the bulk of which comes from the fees paid by students adding that other sources that are expected to contribute to the funding of the university are not doing so because of lack of fund.

    The Vice Chancellor who said the university authorities have resolved to adopt the ‘no work no pay’ rule on adamant workers said attendance register had already been opened for workers to ensure that workers to go back to work.

    Popoola called on eminent citizens of the state, parents and guardians, students and well wishers to help prevail on the workers to return to work and give the University peace to move on in the interest of the students and service to humanity.

    The Vice chancellor expressed surprise that the workers are not appreciative of receiving their full salaries.

  • VC hails LAUTECH student with 5.0 CGPA

    VC hails LAUTECH student with 5.0 CGPA

    The Vice-Chancellor of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Prof Adeniyi Gbadegesin, has admonished Nigerian youths to strive for excellence in their endeavours.

    Gbadegesin spoke yesterday at the matriculation of the university’s students for the 2017/2018 academic session.

    The vice-chancellor also recognised the best 100 level students in the last academic session, Daboh Ezra Oluwatoba, of the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and Technology with a CGPA of 5.0.

    He advised the students to focus on their primary assignment in school.

    Gbadegesin also urged them to shun drugs and cultism, among other social vices, which can truncate their journey to the top.

     

  • Training a must for teachers, says VC

    Vice Chancellor, Caleb University, Imota, Lagos, Prof. Ayandiji Aina, has identified capacity building as the only means of enhancing teachers’ performance.

    Aina, therefore, called on the government and stakeholders to make training a regular exercise for teachers.

    Aina spoke at the 11th matriculation at its Imota campus, where he argued that producing outstanding students was achievable by quality teachers and good pedagogy.

    The new students were drawn from colleges of Environmental Sciences and Management; Pure and Applied Sciences; Arts, Social and Management Sciences; as well as School of Postgraduate Studies.

    Aina warned them not to identify with bad associations, but take advantage of the university’s facilities to excel academically.

    Aina appealed to the government to allow private universities benefit from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) so they could improve their research.

    He lamented that poor economy had increased the cost of running private universities, making it difficult for their proprietors to pay salaries.

    “People saying we are always charging much and therefore do not deserve grants are being unfair to us. I advise them to do the maths and realise that what we are charging is not even enough to run the school.

    “Donations from private individuals and organisations are what have been helping us. I spend N300million as overhead expenses monthly; where is the money coming from? Check out our population and ask yourself questions,” he said.

    The guest speaker, Pastor Johnson Kalejaiye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, urged the students to be diligent, noting that a hard working student can outshine an intellectually endowed one if the latter is lazy.

     

  • Victorious UNILORIN debate team presents laurels to VC

    Members of the Unilorin contingent that won the maiden Genesis Debate Tournament and the Tedder Hall Literacy Debate in Ghana have presented the trophy, cash prizes and plaque they won to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sulyman Age Abdulkareem.

    Presenting the team and the awards to the Vice-Chancellor in his office last Tuesday (January 16),  the Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Tajudeen Ajibade, said the students surpassed their colleagues from other universities across sub-Sahara African countries because of their dedication and zeal for success.

    Ajibade, however, said the champions have dedicated the awards to the Vice-Chancellor, Principal Officers, Deans, Heads of Departments, staff and students of the better by far university.

    Receiving the team, Prof. Abdulkareem said he was excited and full of joy that the debate and quiz teams of the University of Ilorin were achieving such a wonderful feat.

    Prof. Abdulkareem said he liked the fact that University of Ilorin shone everywhere it went nationally and internationally.

    Describing the triple award as things of joy, he pledged his continuous support to the Quiz and Debate Committee to ensure it wins more laurels.

    On the team were the Sub-Dean of Students’ Affairs, Dr. Alex Akanmu, the Head of the Unilorin Quiz and Debate Committee, Dr. R.O. Arise, the team’s coach, Mr. David Ejim, and a Students’ Affairs Officer, Mr. Ahmed Lawal.

    The maiden Genesis Debate tournament was an open tournament held between January 4 and 7, 2018 in Accra, Ghana. It featured undergraduate and postgraduate participants from Nigeria, Ghana and Mauritius. Also, the Tedder Hall Literacy Debate was the initiative of Tedder Hall Literacy and Debating Society, University of Ibadan.

    Members of the team included Omotayo Jimoh, Hawau Abikan, and Abolarin Muhammed.

    The students that won the Tedder Hall Literacy Debate are Adeyemo Ifedolapo and Kalejaiye Musa.

  • UNILAG to re-brand, says VC

    UNILAG to re-brand, says VC

    The Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG),Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe,  plans to reposition and rebrand the university.

    Ogundipe told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Lagos that the move would improve on the institution’s mandate of teaching, learning, research, and community development.

    “We intend to make the university to continuously live up to its name as the `University First Choice and the nation’s pride.

    “We will commence by rebranding the brand name unilag and then move on to raise friends before raising funds.

    “We are planning to bring together, friends of the university of Lagos to see what we have done so far in the past years, what we intend doing and where we want them to play or come in,’’ Ogundipe said.

    The vice-chancellor also said that there was going to be some structural changes in the university to further boost efforts in moving the institution to the next level.

    “We want the university to be greater than the best. As you may know, university of Lagos is a cosmopolitan and unique institution and we want people to know that it is still the best in the country research wise,’’ he said.

    He explained that the management of the university would be focusing more on research that would be relevant to the institution’s community in the New Year.

    According to him, management will also ensure that the university goes into innovation that will be readily useful to the country at large, as well as delve into and encourage incubation.

    “This is an area where we are going to develop our students to meet the national needs.

    “We will also in this 2018, go into entrepreneurship, where our students would be able to stand on their own,’’ Ogundipe said.

  • Diversify the economy now, says FUNAAB VC

    Diversify the economy now, says FUNAAB VC

    The Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, Prof Felix Salako, has joined the call on Federal Government  to move away from  oil resources and embrace agriculture, as a sustainable route to national development.

    The Vice-Chancellor stated this while declaring open the facilitation and communication skills training programme that was organised in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital by the Cassava, Adding Value for Africa II (CAVA II) Nigeria Project, for Agricultural Development Programmes’ (ADPs) extension officers and procurement staff of large-scale cassava producers.

    Salako, observed that “We are having new generation of extension officers. All of you sitting here are young, seeing your faces; I think we are meeting new generation of extension officers. And I hope you are really going to be the catalyst that would push the nation forward in terms of using agriculture as an alternative to crude oil export. It is dawning on everybody now – whether we like it or not – we are running into trouble with oil. What may even make oil to be useless in the fact that people are already thinking of alternative source of energy, even for running cars. The training could not have come at a better time than now”.

    Salako added that “We are ready to partner to strengthen the skills of workers; extension agents in particular, using participatory and adult-learning methodology, to enhance timely and sustained supply of cassava root by small medium farmers. We are confident that the completion of course will make you better and help in building your capacity to aid effective facilitation and communication with farmers. As extension officers, you need to step up your roles and duties in contributing to the development of our nation. You need to develop good relationship with farmers and subsequently, use these skills to connect yourself. And one thing that has come to fore these days is that farmers did not trust agriculturists anymore. You must be ready to convince the farmer, even to listen to you”.

    “So, you need a lot of effort to be able to convince farmers about innovation these days and this is where I think you have Herculean tasks, being agricultural extension agents. I want to tell you that the information and feedbacks we get from farmers are not that good. The Vice-Chancellor noted that it was crucial to put together the training, aimed at enhancing facilitation and communication skills of participants in having better knowledge of life-changing management, saying that this approach of engaging both extension agents of the state ADPs and procurement executives of cassava-processing factories would definitely achieve the desired results.

    The Country Manager of CAVA II (Nigeria) and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development) Designate of FUNAAB, Professor Lateeef Sanni, recalled that the issue of inconsistency in the supply of raw materials was a major and critical point for the survival of large scale industries, noting that sourcing for raw materials of between 250 and 450 tonnes of cassava required quite a lot of work. “We are aware that you have different locations where you source for raw material but at present, there are some issues we have itemised in the last two years – right quality, right quantity and right time of supply – which should be urgently addressed”, he stated.

    “The major problem is that the farmers themselves have informed us that some of the extension officers or procurement officers are delaying their payments, which is attitudinal and that’s why we felt its better we bring in a consultant that will interact with you on facilitation, communication and sustainable engagement”, he disclosed. Meanwhile, to further boost agricultural production, CASSAVA 2017TECH Conference was earlier hosted by CAVA II (Nigeria), in conjunction with FUNAAB and other development partners, to bring together actors involved in cassava processing-equipment manufacturers, fabricators, financiers, scientists and engineers in West and Central African countries, to discuss latest development in the cassava industry.

  • FUT Minna gets new VC

    FUT Minna gets new VC

    Professor Abdullahi Bala has been sworn in as the new Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State.

    This is the first time the 35- year- old institution would be changing its leadership without any rancour .

    The inauguration of the immediate past Vice Chancellor, Professor Musbau Akanji had to be postponed in 2012 pending resolution of limitations and various degrees of protestations against his appointment.

    The new Vice Chancellor, Professor Abdullahi Bala pledged to operate a open door policy adding that his administration would be fair and work for justice for all.

    He expressed his desire to provide accommodation for 75 per cent of the students in order to adequately expose them to the university culture and to improve the internally generated revenue of the University to augment what the federal government provides.

    Bala who lamented that the relationship between the institution and its host is tenuous and characterized by mutual suspicion stressed that there would be a paradigm shift to ensure the relationship becomes more organic and mutually beneficial to both communities.