RSITIE VE S C NI O U M NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES COMMISSION L M A I S N S O I I O T N A N T H C E OU VI GHT AND SER MONDAY www.nuc.edu.ng A PUBLICATION OF THE OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY th 0795-3089 24 December, 2018 Vol. 13 No. 52 ASUU Negotiations Predate My Administration —— President Buhari resident Muhammadu population challenge and its globalised knowledge economy; Buhari GCFR, has said opportunities; climate change and how to equip teachers with the Pt h a t t h e o n - g o i n g the threat of desertification; the required skills and number; how to negotiations with Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) were fall-out of negotiations in 2013 under the previous government, stating that there was the need to resolve the issues amicably with minimum disruption to academic calendar. President Buhari made the remarks during the 2018 Convocation ceremony of University of Ibadan (UI), held recently. Represented by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, the President and President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR Visitor to the university, also Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria expressed concerns over issues education challenge and how to fund education to prevent the slide bedeviling Nigerian Education chart a course for educating the in standards and frequent System. young generation on competitive disruptions of the educational A m o n g t h e i s s u e s w e r e in this edition Nigeria Won't Survive Without UNN Awards 480 PhDs at 48th Convocation Skills Acquisition Page - 4 —— DG ITF Page - 7 EDITORIAL BOARD: Ibrahim Usman Yakasai (Chairman), Mal. Haruna Lawal Ajo (Editor), Mrs. Franca Chukwuonwo, Ogbonnaya Okoronkwo, Miss Bunshak T.S, Francis Azu, Udey Felix, Aja-Nwachukwu Samuel, Sadiq Abubakar Enquiries: [email protected] 24th December, 2018 Vol. 13 No. 52 calendar due to strikes. President Buhari suggested that been able to develop world- one of the solutions that must be acclaimed academics in various The President stated that explored was the alumni network. disciplines. He also congratulated education could not be left to He noted that there was perhaps the eminent Nigerians and world government alone, pointing out no university in Nigeria presently citizens whom the university had that had the alumni network like found worthy to be conferred with that of UI by virtue of its age and honorary degrees and Fellowships breadth of its academic offerings, on the occasion of its Platinum urging that ways must be Jubilee. cultivated for the alumni network both at home and in the Diaspora and get them to support the university in its work and vision. The President noted that a range of digital tools in the 21st century had made it a lot easier to keep in touch with large numbers of people around the world, engage Sultan Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar III, w i t h t h e m a n d p r o v i d e (Sultan of Sokoto), Chancellor, UI information and inspiration that that none of the world’s leading would be converted into universities depended wholly or philanthropy. He also suggested e v e n s u b s t a n t i a l l y o n that the private sector and private Nde Waklek, Joshua Mutka, government funding, but rather, philanthropist must be actively Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, UI all had evolved innovative means involved in the task of providing They included Sir Bode Akindele, a of financing and investing to quality education for Nigerians. n o t a b l e i n d u s t r i a l i s t a n d meet their funding needs thereby, p h i l a n t h r o p i s t ; P r o f e s s o r become financially sustainable. Akinlawon Mabogunje, CON, NNOM, first Professor of He stressed that although the task Geography in Africa and first of fund-raising demanding, it African to be elected as Foreign was precisely what universities Associate of the United States were expected to do in order to National Academy of Science; solve problems and create Professor Grace Alele Williams, solutions that would uplift the first female Vice Chancellor in society and mankind. He Nigeria; Professor Alake Bolanle expressed confidence that those Awe, FNAL, a notable historian, issues could be creatively and activist; Professor Omoniyi addressed by looking at model Adewoye, University of Ibadan’s eighth Vice Chancellor and former solutions from other universities Prof. A.I. Olayinka around the world and also Vice-Chancellor, UI Federal Commissioner (Minister) creating home-grown solutions for Economic Planning and for Nigerian context. The President commented UI, Professor Olufunmilayo Olopade, noting that the institution had FAS, M.D., Hematology Page 2 MONDAY BULLETIN A Publication of The Office of The Executive Secretary 24th December, 2018 Vol. 13 No. 52 Oncologist and a Professor in including a two-day Masterclass, Medicine and Human Genetics, which empowered students with The Vice-Chancellor said that UI, the outstanding medical scholar soft skills, employability and as the flagship of postgraduate in the Diaspora. entrepreneurial skills. education in Nigeria, had continued to maintain excellence in He advised the graduands Commenting on the problem of postgraduate training and research advising them to ignore all access to university education, through its coordinating Centre for excuses for failure if they all must Professor Idowu noted that every Postgraduate training. He said that succeed as he used the occasion year, not less than One Million, in furtherance of this objective, the to congratulate their families also F i v e H u n d r e d T h o u s a n d institution’s Postgraduate College wished the university Happy 70th candidates sought admission into had continued to organise series of Anniversary. the various tertiary institutions in inter-disciplinary discourses the country, but the combined delivered by eminent Nigerians on In his address, the Vice- broad theme of education and Chancellor, Professor Abel carrying capacity of all the national development. Olayinka Idowu, expressed universities nationwide was L - R: Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; Prof. Grace Alele Williams; Sultan Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar III, (Sultan of Sokoto); Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olayinka; JAMB Registrar, Prof. Oloyede; Hon. Min. of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewale delight that the 2018 convocation barely up to Five Hundred On the new direction of the and graduation ceremonies Thousand. According to him, university, Professor Idowu said coincided with the university’s every year, UI received not less that the institution’s vision was to be 70th anniversary celebration as than Sixty thousand applications a postgraduate university with an Nigeria’s Premier University. He from those seeking admission for e x p e c t e d p o s t g r a d u a t e t o noted that the university had undergraduate studies in the undergraduate ratio to be 60:40 and made giant strides towards Institution and in a bid to help in that the institution had been very sustaining its glory and that some solving the access challenge, the strategic in achieving the vision. efforts geared towards improving institution was involved with the employability of the affiliated institutions and Open He further said that over the years, institution’s students had been and Distance Learning mode to the university had taken deliberate ongoing throughout the year expand access. decision not to admit too many Page 3 MONDAY BULLETIN A Publication of The Office of The Executive Secretary 24th December, 2018 Vol. 13 No. 52 undergraduates as it could not be that the number of postgraduate springboard for greater heights and e x p a n d i n g p o s t g r a d u a t e students during the convocation also call to greater challenges and admission and also increasing the exceeded those who completed aspirations in life, emphasising undergraduate enrollment their first degrees in no less than that would no doubt face without compromising quality. 10 of the university’s faculties. challenges that would task their He pointed out that through its Furthermore, he said that all the entrepreneurial spirit of never Postgraduate College, UI had Institutes and Centres as well as giving up. c o n s i s t e n t l y m a i n t a i n e d the School of Business only ran excellence in postgraduate Postgraduate programmes. He felicitated with the graduands education and research, while as he specially appealed to them to producing the highest number of Professor Olayinka however, be good ambassadors of the high level manpower in Nigeria lamented that due to the university wherever they found and West Africa by extension. nationwide strike embarked upon themselves. by the three Non-teaching Staff A c c o r d i n g t o t h e Vi c e - Unions in Nigerian Universities Dignitaries at the ceremony Chancellor, the convocation n a m e l y t h e S e n i o r S t a ff included Governor of Oyo state, produced different categories of A s s o c i a t i o n o f N i g e r i a n Senator Abiola Ajimobi, Minister Graduands at the convocation graduates in all programmes of Universities, SSANU, Nigerian of Health; Professor Isaac Adewole t h e u n i v e r s i t y . I n t h e Association of Academic and Chancellor of the university, undergraduate category, the total Technologists, NAAT and Non- His Royal Highness Muhammadu number of graduates was 7,577 Academic Staff Union, NASU Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of comprising of 201 First class; during the 2017/2018 academic Sokoto.