By Gabriel Dike
Vice Chancellor of Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Lagos, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, recently celebrated her administration’s one year in office with fanfare and lecture.
Prof. Olatunji-Bello, who was appointed the ninth substantive VC of LASU, the second female to occupy the seat, resumed office on Monday, September 20, 2021, and hit the ground running.
At the one-year anniversary celebration, the First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, LASU Chancellor, Prof. Gbolahan Elias, Governing Council, Sir David Sunmoni, traditional rulers, UK Deputy High Commissioner, Ben Llewellyn-Jones, staff unions, students and Committee of Wives of Lagos State officers (COWLSO) acknowledged her outstanding performance.
The VC said: “Our choice of the theme for this public lecture organized in commemoration of our first year anniversary, “The Significance of Education to the Growth of the Nation,” affirms our university’s commitment to provide a platform that engenders intellectual debates and proffers workable solutions to the deplorable state of education in Nigeria, bearing in mind the unique place of higher education in the development of our nation.
“Indeed, given the dire state of higher education in the country today, no other discussion would have been more pressing. In the last seven months, most public universities have been shut following the stalemate in the negotiations between the Federal Government and the leadership of ASUU. These perennial strikes do not augur well for our nation, and undercut the unique role of universities as incubators of innovative ideas and solutions to the society’s pressing needs.
“It bears mentioning that development will remain a pipe dream in a situation where research is trivialized, when the synergy between the university and the industry does not receive the attention it deserves and when there is a disconnect between the gown and the town.”
Olatunji-Bello said the occasion presented an opportunity to evaluate the progress the administration has made in achieving her vision through the mandate handed in trust by the Lagos State Government and the support of stakeholders.
She sated, prior to her appointment as VC, she had conceived a vision to make LASU the best in West Africa, “It was in pursuit of that vision I applied for the post of VC on three different occasions before my eventual appointment in September 2021, a divine intervention that confirms the prophetic words of Habakkuk 2:3, ‘For the vision is yet for an appointed time’ and, more importantly, an affirmation that when God says yes, who can say no?”
She continued: “I must admit that running this university has indeed been tasking; I have endured long days and sleepless nights ruminating on some of our difficult decisions aimed at putting LASU on a solid pedestal of enduring legacy of development. I make bold to say that my decisions have been guided by Almighty God.’’
Among achievements recorded by her administration include accreditation of 31 out of 37 programmes by the National Universities Commission (NUC), 100 per cent accreditation by relevant professional bodies, approval to establish three new faculties and one school: Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and School of Library, Archival and Information Science.
Others are admission of international students from Ghana, approval to mount nine additional courses for the African Centre of Excellence for Innovation STEM Education (ACEITSE), procurement of additional library books, first PhD in Housing and Urban Development, highest number of First Class and also the highest CGPA 0f 4.98 by Benjamin Olowu, unbundled a department into two, provision of 150KVA new generator, installation of CCTV cameras and other security gadgets.
The administration also ensured the provision of scanner/fingerprint scanning machine for biometric verification, construction of compute-based test center at LASU Foundation, resuscitation of scholar award for students with 4.5 CGPA, conduct of four inaugural lectures, induction of 51 medical doctors for the 16th students of Lagos State University College of Medicine, N5 million research grant for academic staff, School of Transport won Volvo SEK $100,000 research grant, two research teams won N66 million TETFund 2020 National Research Fund, another three won N9 million award by Lagos State Science and Research Innovation, deployment of Internet facility across the campuses, commencement of construction of Technology Hub for staff and students, got full membership of the Ivory League of Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), digitalization of LASU operations, upgrading security features of it certificate, upgrading LASU Radio, renovation of classrooms, laboratories and libraries, revamped security apparatus of the university,improved staff and students welfare, consistent payment of salaries, improved performance of students in sports, collaboration with firms and professional bodies, installation of plagiarism checker and remote lecture room and several completed projects, including 37 internally funded ones.
At the ceremony, first lady of Lagos State, Dr. Sanwo-Olu, Senator Tinubu, staff unions and the students union lauded the achievements recorded by Prof. Olatunji-Bello in one year.