A total of 446 indigent students of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye have benefitted from scholarships sponsored by the University in the last four academic sessions. The scholarship scheme so far has cost the University over N20million. This is in furtherance of the Management’s commitment to the welfare of students, according to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ganiyu Olatunji Olatunde.
Apart from the scholarships, the University Management, through the Directorate of General Studies (GNS), also supported students’ Work Study programme for 25 students, which amounted to N2,400,000 per session, during the period under review.
The Vice-Chancellor, who made the disclosure while giving an account of his stewardship in his address at the 30th and 31st Convocation Ceremonies of the University, declared that necessary approvals had been given to the Acting Dean, Students’ Affairs to execute the scholarship scheme for 2021/2022 academic session. According to him, many more students, who were interested in farming to support themselves, were given acres of land free of charge within the past four academic sessions.
“On students welfare, a total of N20, 515,227.90 have been expended on scholarship for 446 indigent students in the last four sessions. A total of 104 students in the 2017/2018 session got N3,965,470.00; 96 students in the 2018/2019 session received N4, 321, 805.40 as scholarships; 125 students in 2019/2020 session got N5, 919,316.70 while N6, 308,635.80 was expended on 121 students in the 2020/2021 academic session,” he explained. As part of general welfare, Prof. Olatunde stated that the University Counselling Unit and the Student Friendly Centre were renovated and equipped with modern facilities for students while additional staff were recruited to enhance the mental health of students of the institution. He added, “The psychological and emotional well-being of our students had been of utmost importance to this administration as we have extended the Guidance and Counselling Unit across all campuses.
A Students Welfare and Hostel Management Committee (SWEHOMAC) was also constituted to interface with hostel providers and ensure that our students have value for their money.
“Discipline is a major focus of this administration and it has been integrated as a culture. We ensured that our students are well-behaved and decently dressed by enforcing dress codes that enhanced the moral standards in this great institution. There is a functioning Students Disciplinary Committee tasked with the responsibility of reforming students of questionable character.”
The Vice-Chancellor, who affirmed that the University had continued to experience sustained academic development, expressed satisfaction with the performances of students of the institution, saying “the performances of our students within and outside the University, particularly in major competitions, continue to gladden our hearts and the feedback we receive from employers of labour and corporate organizations on the performances of our graduates continue to be a source of encouragement to us.” Prof. Olatunde said the Health Centre structures and equipment of the University were refurbished to improve healthcare delivery within the last four years, adding that more healthcare professionals were recruited to give timely and effective healthcare services to students.
“In addition, we created a system for routine health checkups for members of the University Community by taking health care delivery to Faculties and Colleges of the University, rather than waiting for staff to come to the clinic. We established and equipped a Holden Bay for COVID-19 patients and ensured that the COVID-19 vaccines are readily available to any interested staff or student,” he further pointed out. The Vice-Chancellor equally disclosed that over 260 staff of the University were sponsored to various workshops and conferences in Nigeria and overseas in the last four years as part of efforts to improve the administrative skills of staff and maximize their productivity. According to him, 88% of the beneficiaries were sponsored using the internally generated revenue of the University.
“Promotion of staff were also undertaken as and when due,” he noted, “with over 800 staff members promoted during the last four years.”
“Our crop of dedicated and resourceful staff have continued to excel in their chosen fields also, thus making the University proud. This is evidenced by the number of staff that had earned their promotions and doctorate degrees since the last Convocation in 2020. In addition, 28 Readers were promoted to Professors while staff in other cadres also had promotions to various levels during this period,” he added.
While further highlighting more measures to enhance welfare, Prof. Olatunde stressed that the University Management had ensured the provision of safe and healthy working and learning environment for staff and students through the landscaping of the work environment, supply of office facilities and equipment, purchase of security gadgets and installation of CCTV to cover the whole of the Main Campus of the University in Ago-Iwoye.
“We have continued to sustain healthy Management-Union relationships through robust engagement with the leadership of the staff unions, while agreements and pacts reached with stakeholders were honoured through the payments of staff promotion arrears, earned allowances and other arrears that we met on assumption of office,” the Vice-Chancellor submitted.
