FOR the University of Ado-Ekiti (UNAD), it is the dawn of a new era, occasioned by the ongoing infrastructural development of the institution and the landscaping of the university environment.
Hitherto, the institution established by the Chief Adekunle Ajasin's administration in the Old Ondo state, has had the misfortune of poor infrastructural facilities which contributed in no measure to the decay in the university. Not only were the facilities inadequate for the thousands of students, there was the problem of over crowding in many lecture rooms to the extent that students stand on their feet for hours to receive lectures.
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Beyond this was the intrusion of many social vices including examination malpractices, certificate forgery and the other vices that plagued university education in the country. The university was also the destination of many cultists as incessant clashes among cultists was the order of the day in the past.
But in the last 20 months, there has been a gradual transformation of the institution. For instance, the construction of lecture theatres and other major buildings is already giving the university a new look.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Dipo Kolawole, said the vision of the management is to build a university that could compare favourably with its contemporaries anywhere in the world. With the slogan "Team UNAD," the focus of the management is to lay emphasis on increased productivity of staff and attainment high academic standards.
Speaking on the new programme, Kolawole said what the management has been able to achieve behavioural re-orientation of both the students and staff, to achieve the dream of the founders of the institution. The students were re-oriented to be proud of their institution and to always consider the image and interest of the university in any action taken by them.
Part of the orientation is the stoppage of sale of handouts and the encouragement of the lecturers to do more research and writing of books in their area of specialisation.
Also, there is the conscious re-orientation of the students to desist from cultism, which has paid off with the reduction in cult clashes.
As part of the behavioural re-orientation, the staff were made to work for their pay which has changed the normal way of doing things in the institution. Hitherto, as at 9.00am, many of the staff would still be found on the streets of Ado-Ekiti looking for vehicles to take them to their place of work but this has changed with the directive that all workers must be at their desk by 8.00am.
Kolawole who is introducing the reforms, has also made himself a model for his staff to follow. Not only does he resume work before 8.00am, he has also ensured that the university senate meeting which holds at 12.00pm now holds at 8.00am. He disclosed to newsmen in a recent chat, that as he was introducing the reforms, he has equally ensured that the university is alert to the demands of its workers, especially in the payment of their entitlements to further encourage them to increase their productivity.
His words: "we don't need to provoke the unions to go on strike before we address their demands, within the limits of our resources." He added that in most times the university has met the unions demand by engaging them from time to time to ensure industrial harmony on campus.
In the area of infrastructural development, the university has also achieved giant strides. For example, an imposing edifice in the heart of the institution campus will house the Faculty of Engineering of the institution. The contract, awarded to Messers Three Os Nig. Ltd at a cost of N210 million in July this year, is nearing completion. The completion date according to the Vice Chancellor is March, next year.
Not only will the building add to the beauty of the campus, it will also end the accommodation problem confronting the staff of the faculty.
Another major landmark is the 3,000 seater multi-purpose hall that will serve as lecture theatres when completed. The project being handled Viadam Nig. Ltd. at a cost of N210 million, will end the shortage of lecture rooms for students. A situation where students are crowded in a small room to receive lectures is gradually being solved with the new multi-purpose hall, which can accommodate three lectures at a time.
One curious thing about these projects is that they are being funded from internally generated revenue. Kolawole said the university has not accessed its capital fund for this year because it has not been released by the proprietor. But he has taken the matter up with, the state governor, Mr Segun Oni. He hopes with the assurances given by Oni, the university would receive a huge amount to put up more buildings in the university campus.
Already, a 500 seater lecture theatre funded by the Education Trust Fund (ETF) has just be completed. The lecture theatre is being expanded to accommodate about 1,500 students at a time. Thee project which gulped N76 million was constructed by Messers Pavebay Nig. Ltd.
Another major project completed by the Kolawole administration is the university computer centre with 65 work stations, which complements the existing one in the university that has just been renovated. A coordinator has been appointed for the computer centre in the person of Prof. F.M. Aderibigbe.
Kolawole said the university has also built a Moot Court as part of its preparation for the full accreditation of its law faculty, which was given partial accreditation by the National Universities Commission and the Council for Legal Education. Describing the Moot Court as the best ever in any African University, the Vice Chancellor said the university is fully prepared for the accreditation team visit in January next year.
Speaking on the various building projects, Kolawole said the "university is moving from functional buildings to those with aesthetic value to the beauty of the campus. We are reconstructing the gate of the university and carried out the landscaping of the university campus".
He said the institution is in the process of re-roofing the main administrative building donated to it by the late philantropic, Dr Lawrence Omolayo. Apart from the roofing, the entire building will be renovated while new paints will adorn it.
To ensure improve electricity supply, the institution has awarded contract for the extension of a dedicated power line from Basiri area of Ado-Ekiti to the university campus. The project awarded to Messers T.J. and Associates will be completed next year.
Kolawole also disclosed that the Part-Time Programme unit of the institution has put in place its own structures from ints internally generated saying since the establishment of the university, it has not witnessed a situation where various units are in competiton to build their own structures from revenue generated from internal sources.
With a measure of confidence, he stressed that with the completion of all ongoing projects by early next year the institution would rank among the best in the country.
He however pointed out that the constraint of fund is hidering the execution of his loft programmes for the progress of the institution. A professor of political science, Kolawole said this accounted for the recent hike in fess payable in the institution.
Though, the new regime fees will not affect returning students, the decision was to ensure that more funds are available to keep the university running.
Kolawole who is also the chairman of the Peace and Security Committee of African Union ECOSOC, maintained that if the institution did not do something about generating more fund internally, it would not able to meet its responsibility to staff and students.
According to him, new students are now to pay between N90,000 and N200,000 depending on their departments. While those in Arts and Social Sciences Pay N90,000 those in faculty of Medicines will have to cough out N200,000.
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