The Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, is poised to establish itself as a leader in the deployment of information technology for education delivery, as it steps into the fifth decade after its inception.
The vice chancellor, Professor Ayodeji Agboola, gave the hint on Tuesday during a media parley organized to kick-start a series of activities lined up for the university’s 40th anniversary celebrations.
In his address entitled ‘OOU @ 40: Lighting the Path of Academic Excellence: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’, Professor Agboola listed the giant strides made by the university in the use of ICT to advance effective service delivery in teaching and learning, including the fact that OOU was the first to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to conduct screening examinations for candidates seeking admission into the university.
This competitive edge Agboola said the university would consolidate by digitizing all its operations going forward.
“We are planning to deploy more of digital in everything that we do, so that our students anywhere they are can make use of information technology and apply it to every aspect of what they are doing,” he declared.
OOU (formerly Ogun State University), established in July, 1982, commenced operations on 31st January, 1983 with the inaugural set of 522 students across four faculties: Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Faculty of Education.
According to Agboola, the university, between 1983 and 2012, had grown into three colleges 13 faculties and a Centre for Continuing Education, as well as an Institute of Education to induce research activities.
Professor Agboola particularly noted that the university took a quantum leap in the past one decade with massive infrastructure development; colossal investment in laboratories and equipment; floating of new and rejuvenation of existing academic programmes; improvement in the university’s carrying capacity, and strengthening of the town-gown relationship, among others.
The transformation was so encompassing that, according to him, the university was in 2016 adjudged the Best State University in Nigeria.
“Four new academic programmes had been developed and accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC) within the last decade, to improve on the academic profile.
“They include Civil Engineering, Music, Linguistics and Nursing Science. Today, the university has a total of 72 undergraduate academic programmes, all accredited by the National Universities Commission,” he said.
On the rating of its academic programmes, the vice chancellor noted that OOU is about the only university in the entire south-western Nigeria with full accreditation in Accounting programme since 2008.
With the anniversary celebrations, the university hopes to highlight and celebrate its achievements over the decades, bring the university community and its alumni together, and especially solicit endowment and donations.
According to the deputy vice chancellor (administration), Professor Charles Olufemi Adekoya, the celebration which commenced with the Tuesday media parley will feature different activities spread over the next four months, culminating in a Gala Nite/Award ceremony scheduled for June 23.
