The Vice-Chancellor, Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, Professor Ganiyu Olatunji Olatunde, has called on staff to use their digital skills and knowledge to develop themselves and the University.
Professor Olatunde made this call during the closing of a five-day International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) certified ICT training organised for members of staff of the University.
The intensive training, which was held at the University ICT Centre in Ago-Iwoye, was sponsored by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to adequately equip participants with competences to cope with the emerging trends in the global education sector.
No fewer than 120 staff, drawn from various units at the main and satellite campuses of the University, participated in the training which focused on cyber security, power point presentation, data base, online collaboration and project planning.
Addressing the participants shortly before he declared the workshop closed, the Vice-Chancellor said the training was in line with the efforts of the University Management to reposition OOU for the attainment of the status of a 21st Century citadel of higher learning.
Olatunde, who got a rousing reception from the cheerful participants chanting his name with solidarity slogans, restated his commitment to developing the capacity of personnel towards actualising the vision of the University.
According to him, it is important for every organisation to constantly educate and improve its workforce.
He said though the global outbreak of coronavirus halted some of the plans of the University, there is no let-up in efforts to transform the institution into excellent ivory tower.
He said, “This training is germane because the way we are going in this country is online and that is why it’s important that, consistently, we must imbibe and we must continue to refresh ourselves in terms of the training relating to computer awareness and appreciation as well as advancement in some of these computer applications.
And it is on this note that this training is organised so that we can learn more things about ICT and be able to impart on our jobs.”
The VC congratulated the participants, noting that the ICT training would go a long way in enhancing the quest by the varsity authorities to transit from physical mode of teaching to digital.
His words: “I want to thank the TETFund for sponsoring this workshop on computer appreciation and kudos to our facilitators. I want to thank our ICT crew too.
I want to congratulate the participants once again. If we organised training and we don’t get people to attend, then there is no training. My advice is there is no knowledge that is lost. At your own private time, try and go over what you’ve been taught and see what you can gain from it.
Some of the knowledge and experience that we brought from other places to this University, we didn’t actually gain it in this University. So, anything you are taught, please refresh yourself; try and use it for both official and personal development.
I believe this would assist you to impart positively on the development of this University,” Prof Olatunde enthused.
Some TETFund officials who graced the training included Modupe Oyewole, Andrew Adewole and Aderoju Shitta while Muhammed Usman and Sharif Abubakar from AMTEC Global Consulting Nigeria Ltd attended as resource persons.
While declaring the workshop open on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor on Monday, November 9, 2020, the DVC, Academic, Professor Deji Agboola, appealed to participants to replicate the skills acquired on their jobs.
“Whatever we learn here, don’t let us keep it to ourselves. There is what we call train the trainers. When you go back to your units, please train others so that at the end of the day, everybody in the University will benefit one way or the other and then we will all be on the same page,” he said.
Prof. Agboola assured that while management would not relent in increasing the infrastructure and facilities of the University, no effort will also be spared in manpower development.
Apart from the VC and DVC, the Registrar, Mr Femi Ogunwomoju, the Bursar, Mr Semiu Makinde, and the University Librarian, Dr Adebambo Oduwole, witnessed the closing of the five-day training.
