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‘Ajayi Crowther University, One Of The Best In Nigeria’

The management of Ajayi Crowther University, a faith-based university in Oyo, Oyo State trumpeted institution as one of the best in the country.
The Deputy Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Jacob Adeniyi, noted that the institution known for its high disciplinary records. The Deputy Vice Chancellor, who recently was in Port Harcourt on official business, spoke with Ike Wigodo on the achievements of the university.
Excerpts.
Sir, can you give us a brief historical background of Ajayi Crowther University (ACU)?
ACU is a faith – based University, licensed in 2005, and began operations in 2006. Ajayi Crowther University is an institution of the Anglican Church of Nigeria. Accordingly, we are a Christian University. We raise Godly intellectuals, who proceed to be agents of great positive change and transformation in their immediate environment, the nation and the world as a whole. At the institution, we emphasise the fear of God, sound academic development, excellent character formation, hardwork, diligence and entrepreneurship.
What do you mean by Godly intellectuals?
At ACU, we emphasis character. There is a compulsory course on character that every student passing through this university must take and pass before graduation. When we say we raise Godly intellectuals, we teach our students here to have fear of God, we teach them to be prayerful and also to worship God. One of our core values is Spirituality.
For staff and students, spirituality is developed through daily morning devotion, weekly community worship, and other anointed services.
What are the courses being offered there, and how many of them have been accredited?
All our courses have been accredited, and we offer various programmes in the Faculties of Education, Humanities, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Law, Management Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. The school has applied for resource verification for Political Science, Industrial Relations and Business Education. Also, we have applied for verification of Ph.D programmes in all our accredited courses.
Sir, what are the things that distinguish ACU from other private universities?
We focus on entrepreneurship training for our students; our tuitions are affordable, and can be paid in three instalments to enable parents and sponsors of our students to pay promptly; we run uninterrupted academic calendar; we make adequate security arrangement for our students; we make sure they learn under conducive atmosphere; and we ensure qualitative university education for them; we have zero tolerance for indiscipline on the campus. Apart from all these, out university has the best Faculty of Law in Nigeria. The Alakija Faculty of Law Complex is unarguably the best Law Faculty building in Nigeria. Equipped with many ultra-modern learning facilities and fully air- conditioned lecture rooms and auditorium
How do you ensure qualitative university education for your students?
Ajayi Crowther University has seasoned and dedicated lecturers and other categories of workers. The Vice Chancellor also encourages our students to use the library. He visits the library regularly and gives gifts to students he meets reading there. This is to encourage the use of library by our students. ACU has two (2) fully stocked libraries equipped with latest books, audio-visual learning materials, ebooks and online resources. Both libraries have eLibrary with internet and quality computers. We also expose our students to national and international academic and research competitions.
Over the years, what are the landmark achievements of ACU in terms of quality of your products, academic and research breakthroughs?
Our products are everywhere across the country and abroad doing excellently well in their chosen careers. We have had our students winning national awards. Recently, our students in the Computer Science Department entered into a national competition and came third nationally. Some of our lecturers went abroad and won prizes, just like some of our lecturers in the Micro Biology Department.
Professor Popoola from the Mass Communication Department just returned from a national assignment. We have recorded so many achievements over the years, and we are determined to keep on moving.
What international collaborative or exchange programmes do you have?
On November 28, 2017, The Vice-chancellor was one of the ten Vice-Chancellors who signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Morgan State University, Baltimore USA. The MoU provides for collaboration between Ajayi Crowther University and Morgan State University for linkages, staff exchange, Doctoral degree studies, short-time research visits, conferences and student exchange programmes. The MoU takes effect immediately. There is another one, if a student is interested in obtaining a UK degree after graduating here, such a student can go there for one year and obtain a UK degree. The implication of this is that such student will have two different degrees.
Lastly, what is the future projection for the university?
The present Vice Chancellor is a very dynamic one. He always looks into the future. He does not only build infrastructure, he also builds human capacity. The Vice Chancellor ensures quality academic activities. Just last week, he was saying that each department must produce at least, two Professors, and that these Professors must not come from outside but within the university system. We are also introducing programmes that are very attractive, in the bid to increase our enrolment. Our future projection is that this university should be among the best, not only in Nigeria, but globally. We know we shall soon get there.
How disciplined are your students, and what efforts are being made to enforce discipline among them?
This university is built upon the heritage of old St. Andrew College, which was founded in 1897. It was the most disciplined Teachers Training College in Nigeria in those days.
So, the discipline here is very strong. All students are to dress corporately. We have zero tolerance for any act of indiscipline. Any student caught in any act of indiscipline will be tried by a Student Disciplinary Committee, no matter the children of whom they are. In order to sustain the high level of discipline among our students, we have stopped admitting students who were dismissed from another universities.
Apart from the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, do you have programmes for students who do not have basic qualification for undergraduate programmes?
We have a foundation programme. We are registered with TOEFL, we have lecturers taking admitted students for remedial courses. Generally, we don’t admit students who do not have basic requirements for out undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. We are not too desperate to admit students here. We don’t compromise our standard.
What are the sources of funding available to the university, do you get subvention from either government or owner – church?
The University does not get subvention from anybody or agency. We run the institution based on tuition fees we collect from our students. We have no subvention at all. TETFUND has been unfair to private universities. We would have loved it if TETFUND allows us to access some of its facilities, but they hide under the claim that the laws do not allow them to extend their operations to private universities. The Federal Government has been unfair to us. At least, TETFUND should be sponsoring lecturers in private universities for Ph.D programmes and conferences, if other facilities are not extended to us.
How do you fund and run the affairs of the university?
We spend between N70 million to N80 million every month on salaries and running cost. We rely solely on tuition fees we collect from students. We don’t want to increase our tuition fees unnecessarily; we want our tuition to be affordable for parents and sponsors. That is the reason we have been appealing that TETFUND facilities should be extended to private universities. They should amend the law.
What about funds from private and corporate bodies?
We have not been receiving fund from any organisation, although we had reached out to some of them. We are still expecting their response. But we have some individuals and families who have contributed to the development of the university. We have some Anglican families that have helped us. We have the Wole Olanipekun (SAN), who gave us the Vice Chancellor’s lodge; Chief Mrs. Florence Ajimobi, who gave us the ICT Centre; General TY Danjuma, who gave us the Library; and the Alakijas, who gave us the magnificent Faculty of Law.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
News
RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
News
Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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