The Special Adviser to the Governor of Ogun State, His Excellency, Prince (Dr.) Dapo Abiodun, MFR, on Higher Education, Prof. (Mrs) Sidi Osho, on Wednesday, 18th September, 2019 lauded the efforts of the University Management over infrastructural development in the University. Sidi Osho, former Vice-Chancellor, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti who was on a fact finding visit to the 37 years old institution, along with some key officials of the State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology were received in audience by the Management of the institution led by it’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ganiyu Olatunji Olatunde at the Main Campus in Ago-Iwoye. Also on the entourage of the Special Adviser were the Director, Primary and Higher Education, Dr. W. A. Olanloye, Mr. M. A. Lawal, Mr. O. A. Awaye, Mr. V. O. Amosu, Mr. I. B. Onayemi, Mr. T. O. Adedeji, Mr. Joseph Adedayo, and Mr. Timothy Oyebade.
Receiving the delegation in his office, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ganiyu Olatunji Olatunde, who welcomed the Special Adviser back home, was full of gratitude to His Excellency, the Governor of Ogun State, Prince (Dr.) Dapo Abiodun, MFR, for appointing one of the former staff of the University as his Adviser, stressing that her appointment, would no doubt engender a good era for higher education in the State. Prof. Olatunde further disclosed that Prof. (Mrs) Sidi Osho considering her wealth of experience would rightly guide the Executive towards achieving greater heights in the higher education sector of the State.
The University helmsman thereafter, gave a brief on the evolution of the institution.According to Prof. Olatunde, the University came into existence in 1982 as Ogun State University with about 500 students and was later renamed Olabisi Onabanjo University in 2001, in honour of the first Executive Governor of the State, Late Chief Victor Olabisi Onabanjo, during whose tenure the University was founded. He disclosed that since then the University had grown in leaps and bound and metamorphosed into one with a student population of about 28000 spread across 3 Colleges, 13 Faculties, and 53 Departments housing 73 academic programmes adding that about 99 percent of the programmes being offered in the University had NUC accreditation.
The Vice-Chancellor who stated that the dream of the current University administration was to make OOU an institution of world class standard in line with the vision of its founding fathers, stressed the need for the support of all and sundry in the state especially the State Government for funding, in the cause of giving the best university education to the citizens of Ogun State in particular and Nigeria in general. He then, thanked the successive governments including the current administration in the State for their good hands of gesture to the University especially, in the release of the monthly subvention.
Speaking further, the University helmsman equally acknowledged the Federal Government for its financial support through TETfund interventions and also the corporate bodies for their immense contribution in the area of infrastructure and human capital development in the University. He stated that the landscaping and beautification of the university environments were sponsored by corporate bodies as CSR projects, while donation of multi million naira teaching/learning aids, fund for special project, and endowment, Solar-powered lights on the campus etc were part of the tremendous assistance from various Alumni bodies, individuals philanthropists, etc. The Vice-Chancellor also revealed that security challenges have been reduced drastically to the barest minimum on the University campuses leading to smooth and uninterrupted academic session in the last seven years.
In her response, the Special Adviser on Higher Education, Prof. (Mrs). Sidi Osho who thanked the University Management for the warm reception accorded her team, inspite of the shortest notice, stressed that her visit was a fact-finding one in line with the desire and policy direction of the State Governor, His Excellency, Prince Dr. Dapo Abiodun, whom she said chose Education as Sector Priority. According to her the “Governor wants to internationalise and globalise education, using Student-Centred Model where students would be at the centre to improve quality of students from higher institution of learning”. She added that Government was interested in how different aspects of educational institutions in Ogun State were being run. She thereafter, solicited for the co-operation of the Management of the University in this direction toward achieving needed expansion and opportunities which were the goals of the new administration in the State.
Speaking further, Prof. Sidi Osho could not hide her feelings regarding the level of infrastructural development that stared her in the face right from the gate house as she accessed the University Campus when compared to her experience in the past especially, during her stint of academic sojourn as a former teaching staff in the institution. She congratulated the Vice-Chancellor and his management team on the all-round achievement recorded so far especially, in the area of infrastructure, despite the capital-intensive nature that characterised the running of university education of the world over. She added that the new Senate building was a toast of all eyes, while the new 3000 capacity ICT building was a colossus that would, no doubt, along with other facilities like the standard libraries, new lecture theatres and offices etc that adorn the university campus, jointly place the University on higher stead in competing with other institutions of world-class standard. In her words, “My team members and I were happy seeing development all over the campus”. “In actual fact, the new Senate building was impressive while other infrastructure like new ICT building, and other projects were laudable. These would not only aid teaching/learning and research in the institution but will add to its aesthetic value,” she noted.
The Special Adviser, who also noted the commendable efforts of the Management in sourcing for fund through internal and external means thereafter, gave her words, not on;y in supporting the University Management where and when necessary, but also to assist in facilitating further development efforts at both State and Federal levels including TETfund.
Other Principal Officers of the University at the event were the Deputy Vice-Chanecllor, (Academic), Prof. Deji Agboola, the Registrar, Mr Femi Ogunwomoju, and the University Bursar, Mr. Semiu Makinde.
