Education

UI Professors Speak On Council’s Decision To Restart VC Race

Published

5 years ago

July 5, 2021

Some professors at the University of Ibadan (UI) have backed the decision of the newly constituted university council to restart the process of electing the 13th Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the institution.
They stated this in separate interviews with journalist in Ibadan at the weekend as news filtered in on the decision of the UI council.
Reports had it that the process of electing the 13th VC for the premier university had been marred with various allegations on the processes set by the former VC, Idowu Olayinka.
The UI VC race started in May 2020.
It was also gathered that the decision to restart the VC selection process was reached at a meeting of the university council held on Friday and presided by its chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun.
The council also resolved that apart from the cancellation, the VC position should be re-advertised.
The meeting also set a new timetable for the commencement of the new process to be released by the second week of July 2021.
Reacting to the development, a Professor of Guidance and Counselling at the university, Oyesoji Aremu, said the decision was a welcome development as the council sought to start the whole process afresh.
“Oh! it is a simple thing and of course, straightforward. It means the new Council wants to start on a clean slate.
“This is commendable and should be gratifying to all parties both within and outside, given the various shenanigans that greeted the last exercise,” he said.
Also, Francis Egbokhare, a Professor of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts, UI, said it was the right thing to do because the context was already too quasi and contentious.
Mr Egbokhare said if the council continued with the old process, the institution would be having a divided university along religion, cartel and canals over the next four to five years.
“It would have led also to a very toxic academic climate, where professors would be more into politics and not their academic callings.
“So, it is best that the council should reset the starting point.
“And I hope that those who led us into this quagmire would have learnt their lessons. The information on ground is that people have been entrenched into various positions capable of undermining the process.
“I hope that council will be able to manage the situation so that there would be a sense of fairness and community in the way people approach it, and not just from the point of view of council alone but UI community itself,” Mr Egbokhare said.
The don further urged the new council to earn the trust of the UI community and see to it that people are not contesting based on political power but their academic contributions as well as the capacity to make a difference in the system.
“Decisions like this for most people in UI is a matured way forward but then all hands must be back on deck to ensure that the most suitable hands for our next mission in approaching our vision will be the man that emerged as the VC,” he said.
Mr Malomo noted that the old process for electing the new VC was a bit unusual of UI.
He added that now the heat has died down and the fume has subsided and light is beginning to show forth and that is the way UI really is.
“And we believe this will give us back our normal UI mentality,” Mr Malomo said.
It would be recalled that an acting VC, Adebola Ekanola, was put in place on December 1, 2020, for the period of six months, after the Olayinka administration could not follow through with the process of electing a new VC.
However, the crises lingered till the end of the old Council under the chairmanship of Nde Joshua Waklek with various allegations of misconduct, manipulation and biases from members of the UI community on the election process.
This led to the extension of the tenure of the acting VC, who also has been unable to complete the process of electing a VC before the embargo placed on the process by the ministry of education through the National Universities Commission.

Education

RIVCHPP Set To Take Health Insurance Scheme To Tertiary Institutions In Rivers State

Published

6 days ago

January 19, 2026

The Tide

Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP), the state health insurance agency, is set to take the health insurance scheme to schools, especially tertiary institutions, in the state.

This disclosure was made by the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of RIVCHPP, Dr. Vetty Rolegherighan Agala, when she led a team from RIVCHPP on an advocacy visit to the office of the Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Education on Friday, 16th January 2026.

Dr. Agala, who solicited authorisation from the Ministry for RIVCHPP to write to the institutions under Ministry’s mandate so as to begin enrolment of students in the various schools , said that for the health insurance agency to expand universal health coverage of the state, then students need to be enrolled into the programme.

RIVCHPP’s Executive Secretary announced that the agency has also started talks with the State branch of Nigeria Association of Proprietors of Private Secondary Schools (NAPPSS) to ensure that no one in the state is left out from having the opportunity of accessing quality healthcare services without passing through financial hardship.

Dr. Agala also commended the innovative policies that the Permanent Secretary have brought to bear towards improving the educational exploits in the state, saying that the changes align to the interest and mandate of Governor Siminialayi Fubara stance on education.

RIVCHPP’s Executive Secretary appreciated the Permanent Secretary for giving the team audience, pledging her team’s dedication and commitment to clients’ satisfaction, calling on schools to embrace the S-SHIP package dedicated for the well-being of students in Rivers State.

In her remarks and response, the Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Education, Dr.(Mrs. ) Azibaolanari Uzoma-Nwogu, who warmly welcomed the RIVCHPP team, promised to share with and disseminate all information about RIVCHPP to all public schools in the state so that the schools will be willing to give RIVCHPP opportunity to sensitise them on what RIVCHPP is all about and the benefits of signing up with RIVCHPP.

Dr. Uzoma-Nwogu advised RIVCHPP to be proactive and consistent in the mandate of providing affordable and quality health care to Rivers residents.

The visit witnessed a presentation of RIVCHPP’s sensitisation/campaign materials to the Permanent Secretary by RIVCHPP’s Executive Secretary

Education

University Don wants AI to be made compulsory course

Published

6 days ago

January 19, 2026

The Tide

A university don, Prof. Sunday Olatunji, has argued that Artificial Intelligence (AI) should be made a compulsory course for all students in higher institutions across Nigeria, irrespective of their field of study

He also called on Nigeria and Africa to build an intelligent, inclusive and technologically sovereign future to elevate human potential through artificial intelligence.

To achieve these goals, the Professor of Artificial Intelligence urged the nation and continent to: institutionalize capacity building for AI excellence; develop functional policy and ethical frameworks for responsible AI; build artificial intelligence literacy and workforce development; make AI a general course in all higher institutions; promote no-code

AI and machine learning pathways for beginners; develop public-private-academic partnerships; and build inclusive and culturally grounded AI.Prof. Olatunji, who is ranked by the National Universities Commission (NUC) as the Best AI Researcher in Nigeria (2025), made these statements on Tuesday, while delivering the 53rd Inaugural Lecture of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, held at the University Multipurpose Hall.

The lecture was titled, Symbiosis of Mind and Machine: Harnessing AI for National Development.He stressed that artificial intelligence is no longer science fiction but a reality that permeates every stratum of human life. “Just as Computer Appreciation became a national requirement decades ago, the time has come for AI Appreciation as a compulsory General Studies (GST) course.

This course should introduce all students, regardless of discipline, to aspects of AI including: AI fundamentals, machine learning concepts, applications of AI in their respective fields, ethical implications of AI, and its role in national development, among others,” he said.

The lecturer called on governments to establish AI innovation hubs in all tertiary institutions and research centres; promote cross-disciplinary collaboration integrating computing; provide national research grants focused on AI solutions for local challenges; and recruit and train faculty specialised in AI, machine learning, data science, robotics, and computational intelligence.

Prof. Olatunji allayed fears that AI could replace humans or end humanity, positing that, “Many fear that the rise of artificial intelligence signals the decline of human relevance – that the machine might replace the mind. But history teaches otherwise. Every technological revolution – from the printing press to electricity, from the internet to AI – has not diminished humanity but rather redefined it.

Today, AI diagnoses diseases, predicts the weather, translates languages, and protects nations.

Prof. Olatunji has garnered from far and wide and commended his role in setting up the Faculty of Computing and for doing a yeoman’s job as its founding Dean.

The Vice Chancellor also noted that Prof. Olatunji is a well-respected and accomplished academic and researcher who has carved an enviable niche for himself in the digital world of computing and artificial intelligence.

Education

FG, ASUU Set Date to Sign Agreement

Published

2 weeks ago

January 12, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Government is set to formally sign an agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities following weeks of negotiations.

The development may be linked to the 40 per cent salary increase for academic staff proposed by the FG last month and accepted by the union.

A circular issued by the Ministry of Education invited Vice-Chancellors and Registrars of federal universities to witness the signing ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund Conference Hall, Abuja.

The circular, dated January 5, 2026, and referenced FME/IS/UNI/ASUU/C.11/Vol.V/82, was signed by the Director of University Education, Rakiya Ilyasu, on behalf of the Minister of Education.

It was titled ‘Invitation to the Ceremony for the Signing of Agreement Between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities.’

The circular was sighted by our correspondent on Saturday and confirmed by the Ministry’s Director, Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade.

“This signing represents a critical milestone in promoting industrial harmony and improving teaching and learning in our universities.

“It also reaffirms the Federal Government’s commitment to the sustainable development of education in line with the Renewed

Attendance at the ceremony was declared mandatory for all invited university administrators, highlighting the importance attached to the agreement and its implementation.

Last month, the industrial crisis that had burdened Nigeria’s university system for 16 years following the 2009 Federal Government–ASUU Agreement saw the union accept the Federal Government’s proposed 40 per cent salary increase for academic staff.

It was reported that the deal, effective from January 1, 2026, would be reviewed after three years

Why FG Shouldn’t Be Blamed for Non-Implementation of Council Autonomy

Under the new terms, professors will earn a pension equivalent to their final annual salary upon retirement at age 70. The agreement also provides for the establishment of a National Research Council to fund research with at least one per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.

Other provisions include improved funding for libraries, laboratories, equipment and staff development, greater university autonomy, and the election of academic leaders, with only professors eligible to serve as deans and provosts. The pact also guarantees that no staff member involved in past industrial actions will be victimised.