NOTES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN GOVERNING COUNCIL RETREAT
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NOTES FROM THE UI COUNCIL RETREAT
Olatunji Oladejo
Federal Government recently announced and sworn-in people of integrity to run the affairs of the Federal Universities, including the University of Ibadan, the first and foremost University in Nigeria.
For the University to be globally competitive and result-oriented to meet societal expectations, the institution must be deliberately managed. In this regard and as it is the tradition in the University, a two-day retreat was organized at the La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort Lekki, Lagos, from Tuesday, 02 to Thursday, 04 July, 2013 for the new University of Ibadan Governing Council to enable members “appraise the past in order to properly project and leap the University to brighter future.”
The University has always been blessed by the calibre of people who serve on its Council. For Chief Moji Ladipo, former UI Registrar “UI Council has always consisted of loyal and selfless men and women who saw their membership as a call to service, being committed to the ideals of excellence, probity and accountability and extremely vocal internal representatives.”
The 16th Governing Council is led by Gen. Robert Adeyinka Adebayo (rtd.), former military governor of the now defunct Western State of Nigeria, 1966–1971. Other members are Prof. Isaac Folorunso Adewole, FAS, Vice Chancellor, Prof. Arinola Sanya, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Idowu Olayinka, FAS, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Amb. Lawrence Ekpebu, Barrister Sam Nwatu, Dr. Anthony Uche Mbah, Senator Masud Doguwa El Jubril, Dr. Nathaniel Merenu, Prof. Bankole Oke, Prof. Ezekiel Ayoola, Prof Adebayo Okunade, Prof. Labode Popoola, Prof. Mathew Oluwole Abatan, Dr. Gani Adetunji Adeniran and Mr. Olujimi Olukoya,Registrar/Secretary to Council.
The retreat also had in attendance, Prof. Olusegun Akinyinka, the Provost, College of Medicine, Mr. Olaniyi Aponmade, the Bursar and Dr. Benedict Oladele, the University Librarian.
Noting the theme of the retreat “Sustaining the Change and Renewal for Growth”, the Pro Chancellor said the retreat would enable the new Council to brainstorm and fashion out its own visions and priorities of the life-term of the Council and put in place measurable benchmarks for evaluating achievements.
He said: “I consider the brainstorming session as a process of enforcing the dynamic change required to significantly improve all aspects of the University life, and most especially to consolidate on the outstanding achievement of the immediate past Governing Council, under the leadership of Chief Wole Olanipekun, OFR, SAN.
One can only but note, therefore, that this current Council which is made up of seasoned and acclaimed professionals as well as erudite scholars’, intends to build on the legacies of previous Councils. It is, therefore, a resolve to bequeath a worthy legacy to our dear country.”
The Pro Chancellor also articulated the need to devise a means of addressing the challenges before Council, emphasizing the need to come up with a blueprint for the University which would launch UI to a respectable position in the global University system.
Unveiling the objectives of the retreat, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Isaac Folorunso Adewole said the retreat was to acquaint Council members of the vision, mission and strategic objectives of the University of Ibadan; to articulate the governance protocols essential to good governance and management for institutional excellence; to identify challenges and opportunities and to explore novel ways of meeting the university’s needs in the 21st century in the light of Council’s oversight role in the management of the institution.
The Vice Chnacellor further stated that other objectives of the retreat were to accentuate the symbiotic relationship between Council and other organs of governance in achieving the University’s vision and mission; to articulate Council’s plans and design its roadmap for success in this new dispensation; to facilitate the development of a progressive agenda as well as set milestones for a 4 year tenure.
Prof. Adewole also said parts of the retreats objectives were to identify challenges and opportunities as well as to explore novel ways of meeting the University’s needs in the 21st century in the light of Council’s oversight role in the management of the institution.
In his goodwill message, the immediate past Pro Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Chief Wole Olanipekun, OFR, SAN, who attended the retreat personally, congratulated new members of the Governing Council on “their appointments to steer the ship of the administration of the premier University.”
He also congratulated both the Governing Council and the management of the University for organizing the retreat; and recollected the “retreat held under his leadership, where a lot of ideas were shared and ideologies cross-fertilized.”
The erudite lawyer and one of the foremost benefactors of the University pointed out that the University community would always appreciate quality contributions of members. His words: ‘ I can stake a bet that the University of Ibadan community being a most charming, friendly and accommodating, intellectually challenging and politically inclined, is one that will always appreciate the worth and contributions of Council members during and after their tenure.”
Chief Olanipekun further said he had “trod the path of being a Pro-Chancellor of Nigeria’s Premier University and therefore, had a locus standi to pray that the Lord grants the present Governing Council more success than was achieved during his time.”
The retreat had two plenary sessions with robust and vibrant contributions by resource persons and participants:
In a paper entitled “Vision, Mission and Values: University of Ibadan, by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor I.F. Adewole traced the history of the University of Ibadan saying that it was established 1948 and the Law setting it up was the Act of 1962 with a function to encouraging the advancement of learning in Nigeria.
The Vice Chancellor noted that, at present, the University has about 8,000 postgraduate students; 13,000 undergraduate and 16,000 Distance Learning students.
Prof. Adewole stated that the total student population is divided in the ratio of 60:40 postgraduate and undergraduate students respectively with an admission quota of 6,000 but has pegged its yearly admission to 3,000.
The Vice Chancellor identified three critical elements of UI vision which are to develop world class attributes and mindset through research, internationalization, evolution of the culture of best practices, student centric approach to learning and productivity; pursuit of academic excellence through curriculum review, improvement of teaching and learning, investment in laboratories and equipment and pedagogical research as well as societal and cultural relevance through investment in the setting up of a Fish City and Centre for Toxicology, revamping of the Teaching and Research Farm, the University of Ibadan School of Business, collaboration and synergy with Business Organizations.
Prof. Adewole though noted that in fulfilling the University of Ibadan’s Mission, the University has undergone the following but successful peer reviews: Full institutional accreditation from National Universities Commission; Full Programme accreditation from the National Universities Commission and Full accreditation from relevant professional bodies such as: the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), Veterinary Council of Nigeria(VCN), Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), Council of Legal Education (CLE), Council of Registered Engineers of Nigeria (COREN) and Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN).
The Vice Chancellor also said the University has made remarkable progress in collaborations and partnerships. These include the Pan African University (PAULESI) where some flagship programmes had taken off: Reproductive Health, Plant Breeding, Geosciences (with Petroleum option), Environmental Engineering, University of Swansea, England- sponsored Professional Master Degree in Biomedical Education with University of Ibadan as hub for students drawn from five other universities in West Africa; Joint M.Sc degree in Project Management with the University of the West England (UWE), Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigerian Air Force.
Prof. Adewole further stated that the University now has many internationally funded Centres of Excellence and Postgraduate Programmes which include the Centre for Sustainable Development (CESDEV), Centre for Petroleum, Energy Economics and Law (CPEEL), Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (C-CAMH), Institute for Infectious Disease and National Institute for Maternal and Child Health.
Linking these to ranking, the Vice Chancellor said the University Ranking Academic Performance (URAP) body ranked the University B++; Best University in Nigeria and 11th in Africa, adding that SCIMAGO rated UI 1st in Nigeria and 6th in Africa among research devoted institutions worldwide (2011 SCIMAGO Institutions Ranking World Reports).
For the webometrics, Prof. Adewole said the University has taken steps to improve its web presence and enhance its performance on the webometrics ranking.
From the shoe-wearer’s perspective, he listed the challenges of the University of Ibadan to “inadequate funding, rising costs, unbearable cost of municipalities, ageing facilities, low proportion of international student and staff due to: entry through UTME examination by JAMB which has no global relevance, unstable academic calendar due to strike actions by staff and student unions; globally uncompetitive remunerations that can attract international staff; low capacity of the University to generate fund internally due to restrictions by Government) and absence of property valuation. Other challenges, according to him, are inability to recover cost as a result of government political stand on undergraduate tuition fees and bureaucracy.” Other challenges, in his words are “weak mentoring, slow process of curriculum review, subtle resistance to students assessment of lecturers, low awareness/patronage of patented products by the private sector, integrity problem and lack of alumni support, natural disaster (flood), security challenges, budget versus Government release-unrealistic funding mechanism, mismatch between what is budgeted and released, monitoring overkill; ageing facilities and campus security.”
Highlights of the VC’s vision for the future include exploring new linkages and collaborations; exploring the goodwill of the University to attract funds; on-going talks with individual private developers; engaging the alumni and friends of the University for funding of various projects, and challenging the complacency of the community and stirring up the entire staff to rediscover the old time commitment and unity, so as to have a community undivided against itself, and to fast track the University’s advancement to a world class status.
And for the building of a 21st century world class University, Prof. Adewole said the focus would be on being: the first and foremost, University that is accessible to an increasingly diverse student body, providing every student the opportunity to learn with the best minds in the country, and to participate in cutting-edge research.
He said further “it will be an engine for economic development and workforce training in a global marketplace; a place that prepares students to be successful in a rapidly changing and interconnected society where professional and personal interactions take place amidst myriad communities of difference; a University that embraces the goals of academic freedom and integrity and a University with a clear and responsive mission and vision statements and entrenched core values.”
Emeritus Prof. Ayo Banjo’s paper entitled “65 years of the University of Ibadan: Milestones and Challenges” highlighted the history of the University of Ibadan which he divided into 4 ages: Golden Age; Years of Challenge, the Years of Revival and a Return to the Golden Age.
For Banjo, the Golden Age (1948-1970), UI was truly an International community with the presence of foreign students, excellent halls of residence, academic excellence of the departments of History; Chemistry (which was one of the best in the world); English (which drew scholars from abroad) and Linguistics; Faculty of Medicine took its position as the best in the medical research in West Africa and England; drew grants from the Rockefeller Foundation and according to the former VC “funding was adequate and constant.”
The distinguished Professor also traced the Years of Challenge for the University to be (1970-2000). According to him “after the end of the civil war, funding became inadequate and irregular; establishment of new universities in the 1970s (7) and ‘80s (7) and Loss of international character; cessation of the supplementation paid by the British government to staff of British nationality led to their withdrawal from the University of Ibadan and brain drain as a result of the transition of scholars to the private sector and the search for greener pastures overseas.”
Speaking further, the eminent university administrator classified the Revival Years (2000-2008) to witness the period that the staff unions became restless and restive; government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities’ negotiations led reforms in the university system in Nigeria; improved salaries; improved funding; attendance at learned conferences; The Postgraduate School has become the pride of the country; and set forth the task of returning the University to its golden age.
Prof. Banjo identified the Return to the Golden Years to be the years of improved funding; focus on improving postgraduate training and retaining the brightest minds; improvement and upgrade on Information Communication Technology; hosting of international conferences and transformation of the University of Ibadan as a truly African University dedicated to solving African as well as Nigerian problems.
Chief Mojisola Ladipo, mni, former Registrar, University of Ibadan, who spoke on “University of Ibadan Governing Council 1947 – 2013: Footprints on the sand of time” submitted that the governance structure of the University of Ibadan was laid on very firm foundation. According to the gifted University administrator, contributions made by Council to the mission of the University could not be quantified
Chief Ladipo divided the era of previous Councils into four: 1947- 1967: Pioneering and Consolidation: the High Noon Years; First (Provisional) Council: Pro-Chancellor & Chairman- Dr. Kenneth Mellanby (College Principal); 2nd Council, 1951-1958: Chairman- Sir Sydney Phillipson; Vice Chancellors- Dr. Kenneth Mellanby (1947-1953) and Professor J.T. Saunders (1953-1956); 3rd Council 1958-1961: Chairman: Sir Francis Ibiam; Vice- Chancellor- Professor J.H. Parry (1956-1960); 4th Council 1961-1965: Chairman: Dr. Okechukwu Ikejiani; Vice- Chancellor – Professor K. Onwuka Dike (1960-1965) and 5th Council 1965-1967: Chairman: Sir Louis Nbanefo. Vice- Chancellor: Prof K. Onwuka Dike (1960-1967).
She also classified the period 1967- 1975-as War and Reconstruction Years consisting the 6th Council 1967-1975 – Chairman: Chief the Hon. Sir Samuel Manuwa. Vice- Chancellors: - Professor T. Adeoye Lambo (1967-1971) and Professor H. Oritsejolomi Thomas (1972-1975).
The Twilight Years, according to her, was 1975- 1999: comprising the 7th Council 1975-1981 Chairman- Alhaji Abdulrahaman Okene; Vice- Chancellors: Professor Tekena N. Tamuno (1975-1979); Professor Samson O. Olayide (1979-1983).
Other Councils’ operational periods, according to Chief Ladipo were 8th Council 1981- 1983: Chairman- Dr. Christopher. G. Okojie; 9th Council 1984: Chairman- Dr. S.J. Cookey; 10th August 1985: Chairman-Professor T.M. Yesufu; Vice- Chancellor- Prof. Ayo Banjo (1983-1991); 11th Council 1986-1992: Chairman- Alhaji Liman Ciroma; and 12th 1993-1999: Chairman- Professor Iya Abubakar. Vice- Chancellor- Prof A.B.O.O. Oyediran (1991-1995) and Vice- Chancellor – Professor Omoniyi Adewoye (1996-2000).
Chief Ladipo classified the 2000- 2009 as the Era of Institutional Renewal in which the following Councils operated: 13th Council, 2000- March 2004: Chairman – Mr. Felix O. A. Ohiwerei; Vice- Chancellor - Professor Ayodele Falase (2000-2005); 14th Council 2005-2009: Chairman: Mr. Gamaliel O. Onosode, OFR; Vice- Chancellor: Professor Olufemi Bamiro (2005-2010) and 15th Council 2009-2013: Chairman-Chief Wole Olanipekun,OFR, SAN. Vice- Chancellor- Professor Olufemi A. Bamiro (2005-2010)
She advised that the present Council, which is 16th to concentrate on the following areas for monumental success: value creation; build an environment that supports learning and integrity; work across traditional boundaries, support faculty initiatives that foster students’ intellectual and social growth and collaborate across divisions and departments to promote a campus culture that sustains and welcomes diversity and encourage mutual respect.
The fourth paper entitled “First and Best: Leveraging on the University of Ibadan Brand for Marketing Positioning” by Mr. Ayo Elias, Managing Director, Tequila Nigeria Limited” identified love as the key communication tool in building a brand, stressing that the custodian as well as the end user must love the brand for it to succeed.
The communication consultant averred that the University of Ibadan should leverage on being the 1st University; being the 1st in category in Nigeria (in terms of tertiary education) and bringing up the University of Ibadan’s ranking to the top 5 in Africa.
And to achieve this, Mr. Elias said the University of Ibadan has to be built as a brand rather than a product.
He acknowledged the need for the University of Ibadan to “define its brand and how the public perceives it or risk how it is being defined by others.”
While averring the need for the market positioning for the University of Ibadan, Mr. Elias stressed that the positioning should be “leveraged on the 1st in category (primus inter pares) or 1st in category in Nigeria in specific areas such as the academia, admission, research as well as accolades of its alumni.
“Leveraging on the past for future academic excellence” is the title of a paper delivered by Professor Ayo Oduola. He highlighted the rich testimonials of the institution “in terms of its contribution to national development, and emphasized that it must leverage on academic excellence, identify research targets, explore and understand other successful examples in emerging countries like Thailand, India, Brazil and Malaysia, use research to generate income for our economy and advancement of our people as well as translate research into innovation.”
On research and national development, Prof. Oduola insisted that UI must lead the way, stressing that the University must uplift its research base. “There must be award grants and fellowships to strengthen staff and the faculties’ capacities”, he said.
To bolster the academic excellence of the University, the Director of the University of Ibadan Research Foundation suggested some critical objectives for Ibadan. These are award grants to research and fellowships; assist in discussions with the private sector partnerships that would lead to effective translation, innovation and applications of research results; aadvocate and raise funds through national, regional and international engagements to support research and career development for staff; launch the University of Ibadan Research (UIR) Foundation; develop platforms to facilitate collaborations among faculty members to create interdisciplinary leading edge research and create a university wide forum for knowledge and information sharing.
Other objectives, according to the exemplary researcher are to organize Annual UIR Foundation day e.g. a one-day event or a fund raising dinner to celebrate Ibadan research; promote the profiles of research leaders and their work showcasing research output, impacts, dream projects; provide incubation funds for the BRIGHT ideas that industries can turn into products in the shortest possible time; partner as research arm and provide evidence that States and Local Government Areas can use for effective policies and collaborate with national and international industries and business so that the results of the research could be turned into products by the industry.
He also drew the attention of Council to the need for the University “to pioneer new frontiers in research, teaching and training; facilitate knowledge translation and applications to improve social, economic development and health of the nation; provide capacity building for national and state development; and become a national repository of new ideas that can be tapped by all stakeholders.”
He told Council of its power to turn aspirations into reality for the University of Ibadan, noting that Council must recognize its powers and connections with government and the private sector, which would in turn open doors for the University. Also, Prof. Oduola said “Individually, members have a track record; collectively they carry a flag as the Council of the University of Ibadan.”
At the end of the retreat, a communiqué in which Council affirmed its commitment to enhancing the revenue generation and research capabilities of UI with far-reaching recommendations was issued. These recommendations, it was noted, would enhance the University’s position in contributing to national development.
Council noted that world-class institutions attain their status through superior research output made possible largely through abundant financial resources, a high concentration of talents and a favourable governance structure. Though international indicators show the achievements of the University in research have been above average, Council believed that Ibadan should aim at being an international brand through concerted efforts at promoting scholarship by both staff and students.
Finally, it was noted that in order to entrench the leadership position of the University in teaching, research and services, greater visibility should be accorded the University’s efforts and achievements through appropriate branding.
No doubt, the 16th UI Governing Council rose from the retreat with greater resolve for the advancement of the University to make it more globally recognized.
“I am thoroughly impressed by the quality of contributions. I am also impressed by the amount of passion to keep UI in the best position”, said the Vice Chancellor at the end of the retreat.
Olatunji Oladejo is the Director of Public Communication, University of Ibadan.
