ADDRESS BY THE VICE CHANCELLOR, ADEKUNLE AJASIN UNIVERSITY, AKUNGBA AKOKO, PROFESSOR IGBEKELE AMOS AJIBEFUN, AT THE 8TH CONVOCATION PRESS CONFERENCE OF THE UNIVERSITY HELD ON NO EMBER 22-23, 2018
The Deputy Vice Chancellor Administration,
The Registrar,
The Bursar,
The University Librarian,
Other Officers of the University here Present,
Distinguished Gentlemen of the Press
I am delighted to welcome you all to the Press Conference of the 8th Convocation Ceremony of Adekunle Ajasin University.
As you are all aware, the intent of this event is to give an account of the stewardship of the university, especially students’ graduation, which is the major highlight of the institution’s activities, to the stakeholders and the world.
As usual, this year’s Convocation is a weeklong ceremony. Today’s press conference is the Day Three of the event. The event had earlier kicked off with a Jumat Service last Friday, November 16, in the University Mosque. It was followed by Keep-Fit Exercise, and Sports and Games held on Saturday, November 17, 2018.
The University’s research efforts for the session will be showcased at a Research, Development and Innovation Fair at the University Student Relaxation Centre on Tuesday, November 20, 2018.
The Convocation Lecture is slated for Wednesday, November 21, 2018. A former Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Professor Michael Faborode, will be speaking on the topic, Nigerian University System: Stability and Global Competitiveness.
The Convocation event shall come up in two days. On Day 1, Thursday, November 22, 2018, there shall be Conferment of First Degrees on Graduands in the Faculties of Education, Social and Management Sciences, Institute of Education and Institute of Part-Time Programmes; and Presentation of Prizes in the University Multipurpose Hall at 10.00 am.
The grand-finale holds in the University Multipurpose Hall on Friday, November 23, 2018 at 10am. Graduands in the Faculties of Arts, Law and Science shall be conferred with First Degrees. There shall also be Award of Higher Degrees and Postgraduate Diplomas, Conferment of Honorary Degree and Presentation of Prizes.
The 2017/2018 session is eventful in the history of the University. Despite the bottlenecks of financial dire straits and national strike, the University was able to pull through and peacefully conclude the session.
With the cooperation and motivation of the Governing Council, Management was able to entrench a sustainable school fees regime that would deliver the competitive global standard required of a “21st Century University, properly called!”
I am happy to report that, after years of combined convocation, occasioned by the nation’s generally prolonged and unstable academic calendars in our tertiary institutions, this University is able to gradually regulate its calendar and thus present its graduands for last session.
By this feat, the University is gradually joining the League of world Universities that run regular calendars that ensure students are graduated regularly. It is the wish of the University to keep and sustain this feat so that it can continue to achieve its dream of “building a 21st Century University, properly called!” I am positive that, with the cooperation of all stakeholders, we shall achieve this dream.
I. Graduate Statistics
A grand total of 5,252 graduands of the 2016/2017 academic session would be presented for the award of various degrees and Diplomas of the University. Of this number, 5,101 were conferred with first degrees, 39 received Master’s Degrees, 108 bagged Postgraduate Diplomas while 4 earned Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D.
Of the 5,101 that were conferred with first degrees, 31 earned First Class, 1,132 bagged Second Class Upper Division, 3,143 received Second Class Lower Division, 773 graduated with Third Class while 22 had Pass Degree.
II. Honorary Awards
For this year, a distinguished Nigerian, whose lifestyle and achievements tally with the University’s tradition of excellence and integrity will be conferred with honorary degree of the University, in recognition of her contributions to the development of the society. She is Mrs. Sijuade Iluyomade, the founder and Convener of the Arise Foundation. She will be conferred with the Doctor of Law, Honoris Causa.
III. Deepening the Integrity of Academic Programmes
The University continues to sustain the integrity of its academic programme in line with the vision handed over to it by its founding fathers 19 years ago. The five kernels that were put in place by the University to deliver sustainable academic integrity i.e. cutting edge research, merit-driven admission, merit-driven staff appointment and sending young academics for higher degrees in notable Universities at home and abroad, and training and re-training of academic and non-teaching staff for optimal performance, were sustained during the period under review.
The measures above have delivered dividends that have marked out the University as a frontline institution in the nation. The university has consistently earned 100 per cent in the accreditation of its courses by the National Universities Commission, NUC. The University just concluded another round of NUC accreditation and preliminary reports from the exercise indicate that all the programmes did well in the exercise
It is also my pleasure to report that law students of the University have consistently made First Class at the Nigerian Law School in the last five years. In the 2018 Final Bar Examinations of the Nigerian Law School, Miss Agbede Blessing Olajumoke, also made a First Class at the examinations.
IV. Staff Training and Development
The University sponsored 207 academic and non-teaching staff on local and international trainings and conferences from 2016 to date.
A total of 20 young academics benefitted from TETFund postgraduate sponsorships in different Universities across the world while 25 others from various categories enjoyed international and local conference attendance within the last one year.
Scores of academics that benefitted from both TETFund and University postgraduate sponsorships in the last 10 years have returned to their jobs and are adding value to the University.
V. Academic and Research Development
The University’s Centre for Research and Development, CRD, and the Centre for Bio-Computing and Drug Development, (CBDD), continue to engage in and coordinate notable research efforts. These research interventions include treatment of diabetes using Chromoleana Odorata extract, adoption of plant extracts in mosquito control, production of Termicides from plant extracts to provide solutions to disparaging propensities of termites, lassa virus infection treatment, and pollution monitoring and toxicity in environmental media.
Furthermore, the Centre for Bio-Computing and Drug Development is also at the forefront of human capacity development through workshop and training programmes. In August 2017, training was conducted on Application of Bioinformatics Tools in Drug Design, Discovery and Development. The training drew 18 participants from different Universities and Agencies, including University of Lagos, Babcock University, Madonna University, NABDA and AAUA. During the 5-day training, attendees were given hands on experience in computer-aided drug design, molecular modelling, molecular docking, validation of molecular modelling and docking, setting up biological system for molecular simulation and running molecular simulation on high-performance computer clusters and analysis of molecular simulation data.
International conferences were held across Faculties and Departments during the period under review. The conferences drew renowned academics from local and foreign Universities to deepen the University’s academic programmes.
The University collaborated with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany to host the AAUA- Humboldt Kolleg 2018. The Kolleg attracted unprecedented dignitaries, who were in attendance while over 160 participants from 52 Nigerian Universities, one from the U.S.A, five from Government parastatals and five from the industries, as well as five serving Vice Chancellors and one former Vice Chancellor of Nigerian Universities.
VI. Partnership and Networking
In line with its dream of building a 21st Century University, properly called, the University continues to intensify its networking efforts, particularly with top class foreign institutions. The University has expanded its networking with top American Universities and Organizations in 2018 to include Delaware State University; University of Maryland, Eastern Shore; and America Medical Foundation, in addition to the existing active partnerships with Auburn University; Alabama State University, Troy University, and Morgan State University, all in USA. Members of staff and students of Adekunle Ajasin University continue to benefit under the partnerships with these American Universities. The University has also received, on yearly basis (from 2015 till date), Scientists and Professors from the partnering U.S. Universities on joint collaborative academic programmes, capacity development and upgrade of academic programmes and facilities.
VII. Awards and Recognition
Members of staff of the University continue to give a good account of themselves during the year. The University Orator and a Reader in the Department of English Studies, Dr. Sola Owonibi, won a 12-month-tenured CODESRIA Meaning-Making Research Initiative (MRI) Collaborative Research Grant. Dr. Owonibi is currently observing the Grant Residency in Ghana.
Another lecturer in the Department, Dr. Ogungbemi Daniel Rotimi, won the American Council of Learned Societies/ African Humanities Programme (ACLS/AHP) Post Doctoral Fellowship 2018/2019. He is observing the Residency in South Africa.
Miss Motunrayo Ogunrinbokun, a young lecturer in the Department of English Studies has also won full scholarship for a Ph.D Degree in the U.S., aside the American Full Bright Fellowship, which she earlier won.
The University will continue to attract best brains so as to continue to promote academic excellence and scholarships.
VIII. Infrastructural Development
The shattering financial state of Nigerian economy notwithstanding, the University has been able to partner with Government Agencies such as the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund and the Federal Government Needs Assessment to further deliver infrastructural development in the University. In the last two years, the university took delivery of several projects, including construction of Laboratory Block, Construction of Faculty of Arts, Supply and installation of Furniture, while other projects such as Construction of Faculty of Agriculture, Construction of Students’ Hostel, Construction of 500-Capacity Lecture Theatre, Construction of 300-Capacity Lecture Theatre, Construction of Students’ Hostel by AAUA Alumni Association and Electrification Project, are at varying advanced degree of completion.
IX. Students’ and Alumni Support
The University continues to give prime attention to students’ training, mentorship and welfare.
Following the increment in school fees early this session, the University set up the Students’ Support Centre to handle and manage scholarships and financial support to different categories of students, including gifted, indigent and physically-challenged students. Under the arrangement, the University pays 50 per cent of the school fees of all physically-challenged students in the University while best students in every Department with CGPA in the first class range would get scholarship at the end of the academic session. Loans of about one third of School fees are also made available to indigent students who cannot pay their school fees.
The University continues to exploit students’ unionism as a medium for building and integrating democratic and governance skills in students, as its own contribution to national development. As usual, democratic transition was smooth during the year as students’ union election was peacefully conducted. Students’ leaders across the three arms of government, executive, legislative and judiciary, were given leadership training to enhance symbiotic and effective democratic relationships and performance.
The University has fully embraced and adopted ICT-driven administration in all areas, including e-students’ registration, e-payment, e-transcript requests, e-clearance as well as e-voting for students’ union election. This has improved efficiency in the University as well as stress normally associated with various operations.
X. Relationship with Staff Unions
Management continues to maintain useful engagements with the four staff unions in the University i.e. the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU; the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU; the Non-Academic Staff Union and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT. The resolve of the members of the Unions, including the students’ union, to embrace dialogue is strongly instrumental to the peace the University enjoys.
XII. Donations to the University
In the face of harsh economic realities threatening development, the University has to continue to creatively engage stakeholders and partners to deliver development.
We would like to put on record and deeply appreciate the interventions of the following Agencies and individuals:
The Federal Government Needs Assessment for executing different projects, including Faculty of Agriculture, blocks of laboratories and offices, Students’ hostel, some of which have been completed while others are at varying levels of completion;
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund for constructing major buildings for the Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Education, in addition to other projects;
Prophet T.B. Joshua for donating Twenty Million Naira (N20 million) to the University for procurement of a bus for the University.
The Adekunle Ajasin University Alumni Association for commencing the construction of a student hostel (ongoing).
XIII Challenges
Funding continues to remain a huge challenge to the University. This is understandably so in view of the general financial dire straits confronting the nation.
Paucity of funds has sorely hobbled the University’s ability to meet the responsibility of salary payment, funding of research, infrastructural development as well as running the University.
In the thick of these challenges, however, the University has adopted strategic and creative methods to keep it going.
XIV. Going Forward
This University is a product of innovation powered by strategic planning. Armed with the vision of our founding fathers and working under the guidance of a strategic-thinking-savvy Council, we shall, in the year ahead, the year of our 20th anniversary, consolidate on our two-decade gains and project for sustainable and unmatchable excellence.
As I hinted in my last year’s Convocation Speech, “As a University, we have the will, we possess the resolve, we are blessed with committed staff and good students who believe that we are unstoppable even in the face of economic limitations.”
XV. Appreciation
We would like to thank the Visitor and Governor of Ondo state for his magnanimity and support to the University despite the current difficult financial situation in the country. We appreciate his guidance and direction as the father of the University.
Words are inadequate to express our appreciation to TETFund and the Federal Government Needs Assessment, for always offering a shoulder to lean on for our infrastructural development.
I would like to thank the Pro Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Dr. Tunji Abayomi, for his purposeful and courageous leadership and all other Members of Council for strengthening and supporting the University so as to ensure stable academic calendar and peaceful campus.
We owe considerable appreciation to our partners, particularly our sister institutions at home and abroad and corporate organisations and individuals for their donations, trust, institutional cooperation, networking and linkages, all of which combine to complement our strides and achievements during the last one year.
As usual, the staff who are my co-builders in the AAUA Project, have shown uncommon cooperation, commitment and support. They have provided the bricks for building the University of our forebears’ dream. On behalf of Management, I thank them for offering a shoulder to lean on, while asking for more cooperation and support in our collective resolve to bequeath a legacy to posterity.
Our Alumni and students have lived up to expectations, as owners of the University. I thank the Alumni Association for building a student hostel for the University and the students for treading the path of peace that has kept our academic stability initiative running.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I thank you once again for your presence at this event.
Thank you and God bless.
