The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) has commended the Management of the University for deploying Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the critical areas that facilitate effective teaching and learning process among staff and students in the institution. The commendation was given by Prof. Vernatius C. Igiri, FNSE, on behalf of other distinguished members of the COREN accreditation team during the presentation of the exit report of their three-day findings to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ganiyu Olatunji Olatunde, and other members of the Management on Friday, 20th September, 2019, at the main Campus, Ago-Iwoye. Some of the areas according to the team members, included the E-library, Computer-Based Examination, Course registration, Students Examination Results computation, Students Academic Transcript among others. The team did not mince words when they noted that the feats had significantly impacted on the quality of programmes in the College of Engineering and Environmental Studies especially the Engineering programmes.
Earlier in his welcome address, Prof. Olatunde, who glorified God on behalf of the accreditation team for successfully accomplishing the task of assessing the three engineering programmes being run in the University, gave a brief on the feats recorded so far in the University, especially those in aid of effective teaching and learning process. These, in the words of the University’s helmsman included the deployment of ICT in fundamental areas like school fees payment, registration of courses, examination for preliminary level, library, result computation, transcript preparation, etc. He disclosed that inspite of the status of the institution as one of the State Universities owned by Ogun State Government, the Management of the institution was committed to making it a first class citadel of learning with provision of world class facilities in terms of physical and intellectual infrastructure, modern day equipment, laboratories, studios, e-libraries among others.
In the words of the Vice-Chancellor, “One of the largest ICT buildings in Nigeria with about 3000 capacity already in-use at the main campus in Ago-Iwoye, functional E-libraries across campuses, Alumni sponsored- subscription for high class journal like Science Direct/Elsevier, Scopus in place, Security and safety enhanced via CCTV and awareness campaign, while perimeter fencing of all the campuses had begun”. He added that “new 750-seater Auditorium, and a Lecture Theatre for the Faculties of Science, and Social Sciences respectively, under construction on the Main Campus, courtesy of TETfund”.
The Vice-Chancellor disclosed that the above feats and many other efforts of the University authorities in terms of securing competent and qualified manpower earned the University about 99 percent NUC accreditationof all the programmes offered in the University including Agricultural Engineering, Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering programmes in the College of Engineering and Environmental Studies. He, thereafter, appreciated the team for their balanced but objective report, adding that Management would not leave any stone unturned to address areas of needs as observed by the team.
Presenting the detailed report to the Management of the University after an extensive on-the-spot assessment of all facilities needed to build the capacity of products of the Engineering programmes at Ibogun Campus and the Main Campus, the COREN team members did not mince words in expressing their satisfactions on their experiences except some few areas. The team members, who also appreciated the Vice-Chancellor for his warm reception, and providing him and his team another “home away from home” throughout their stay, also noted with cheers the enviable enthusiasm displayed by the University’s helmsman in making sure the Engineering programmes under his watch had the best of all facilities necessary to train engineers. They stressed that the singular action of the University helmsman would not only afford the OOU engineering graduates the capacity to compete favourably with their counterparts from anywhere world-over but would make them fit in into the paradigm shift to Outcome-Based Engineering Education being canvassed nationally and globally against skill shortage.
According to him “May I appreciate the Vice-Chancellor for his favourable disposition to Engineering in this institution. We are aware that you have taken Engineering as priority and next to your heart. Kindly keep this up because with a well-developed Engineering Faculty, the pride of this institution will reach its pinnacle and our nation has everything to gain from it because Engineering is the true asset for development”. He specifically stated that the quality of personnel/manpower in the saddle of training in various Engineering programmes, the new modern day equipment in standard engineering workshops on the campus, the standard library building housing the ICT equipment and e-libraries with adequate texts and international journal of repute, lecture theatres, staff offices, student common room etc. available in the College of Engineering at Ibogun Campus were a great strength to the Engineering programmes.
Prof. Vernatius C. Igiri however, implored Management at University and College levels to continue to assist COREN at ensuring that their members in the University were alive to their responsibilities and obligations to the regulatory body in its resolve at ensuring that Engineering practice at both industry and educational institutions are in tandem with the dynamics in the Engineering world globally. He, therefore, advised the State Government to as a matter of necessity look into the access road linking the Ibogun township and the College Campus adding that the University could still do more in the area of student hostel accommodation among few others, while noting that the team was not unaware of the paucity of fund due to inadequate funding by Government-Proprietors characterising University administration in the country.
It would be recalled that accreditation of engineering programmes is a major mandate of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN). It aims at ensuring that products of engineering programmes in Universities, Polytechnics, and Technical Colleges are sound, and have the capacity to compete favourably with their counterparts anywhere in the world, having been trained by functional and efficient Engineering personnel who meet the challenges of present and future society. The COREN Accreditation team was in Olabisi Onabanjo University in 2015 on routine assessment of facilities available to build the capacity of trainees in the engineering programmes offered in the institution. The 2019 edition was, therefore a re-accreditation visit to the Agricultural Engineering, Computer Engineering and Mechanical Engineering programmes in fulfilment of the quality assurance mandate of the Engineering Regulatory body in Nigeria.
Other members of the COREN team drawn from both the industry and the academia included Engr. Akintayo Charles Akintola, Engr. Prof. Sanusi Sani Adamu, Engr. Dr. A. S. Abdulrahaman, Engr. Dr. Magose Abraham Eju, Mrs. Grace Eze, Mr. Terfa C. Ushir, and Mrs. Ukamaka P. M. Madueke.
