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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.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.