The Vice Chancellor of the Joseph Ayodele Babalola University (JABU), Professor Theophilus Olatunji Olowokure has confirmed that the wife of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief (Mrs) Titi Atiku will be honoured during the institution’s ninth convocation.
The VC, in a press conference held on Monday at the University’s Senate Building Hall also unveiled the week-long activities scheduled by the management of the institution to celebrate the 9th Convocation Ceremony of the faith based private institution named after the late Prophet Ayodele Babalola of blessed memory.
The JABU Vice Chancellor, Professor Theophilus Olatunji Olowokure revealed that on Wednesday 23rd of January, 2019, there will be a Reunion Service followed by a sports rendezvous; on Thursday 24th of January, 2019, there will be a Convocation lecture to be delivered by the former Vice Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile – Ife, Professor Wale Omole with the theme: ‘Education and Agricultural Value Chains for Industrialization of Nigeria’ which will be followed by the Chancellor’s Reception as well as the Institution’s Alumni Association Reception. And on Friday, the 25th of January, 2019, there will be a Conferment of Bachelor’s Degree, Postgraduate Diplomas, Master’s Degrees and Honorary Degrees.
On the Award of the first degrees categories for the 9th Convocation Ceremony of the Institution, Professor Olowokure put the total of the first degrees graduands at a total of 593 students, out of which 25 students will be conferred with first class honours; 234 students with second class upper; 249 students with second class lower, 84 students with third class and 1 student with a pass degree.
For the categories of the postgraduates diplomas awards, five students will be honoured; for the Master’s degrees awards, 10 students will be honoured and for the Honorary Degrees, 2 eminent Nigerians will be honoured and conferred with an Honorary Doctorate Degrees of the Institution and these two are Her Excellency, the wife of the former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Chief Mrs. Amina Titi Abubakar Atiku, the founder of the Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication (WOTCLEF) and Mr. Seinde Fadeni – Oladapo, the Chairman, GMT Energy Resources Limited. The two Honorary Degrees awardees will receive the Doctor of Entrepreneurship (Honoris Causa) of the Institution.
Speaking further, the Vice Chancellor of the Institution, Professor Olowokure declared Oladunmoye Alaba Emmanuel from the Department of Accounting as the best graduating student of the Institution with a total score of CGPA 4.78 qualifying him as a Chartered Accountant even in his final year. The Vice Chancellor noted that out of the total of 593 first degrees graduating students of the University; 37 of the students are from the Department of the College of Agricultural Sciences; 84 of the students from the College of Environmental Sciences; 140 students from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences; 37 students from the College of Law; 181 students from the College of Management Sciences and 114 students from the College of Natural Sciences. The Vice Chancellor noted that the College of Law would be producing its first set of graduates during the convocation programme.
The total number of students graduating from the postgraduates diplomas in Religious Studies was put at five; the Master’s degrees in Accounting was put at five; the Master’s degrees in Architecture – 3; the Master’s degrees in Biochemistry – one and that of the Master’s degrees in Mass Communications – one. The total number of undergraduates programmes currently been run in the institution was put at 25, out of which a total of 16 programmes have been fully accredited and five have interim accreditation while the remaining 4 are waiting for re-accreditation from the Nigerian University Commission (NUC).
Apart from the details of the undergraduates programmes accredited by the NUC provided by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Olowokure; the Nigerian University Commission (NUC) has also accredited some professional programmes through their professional bodies and these include: the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Nigerian Institute of Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ICAN), Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN), Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA), Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) and Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON).
Professor Olowokure stated further that the University got approval to run four PhD programmes as well as two new M.Sc and Postgraduate diploma programmes. These includes PGD, M.Sc and PhD in Entrepreneurship; PhD in Religious Studies, M.Sc in Insurance and Risk Management, PhD in Business Administration and PhD in Accounting; PGD in Computer Science.
The VC also submitted that currently, approved and accredited postgraduate programmes at the institution include: Microbiology, Biochemistry, Industrial Chemistry, Crop Science and Productions, Food Science and Technology, Accounting and Business Administration, and MBA; also M.Sc Economics, Political Science, Mass Communication, Architecture, M.A. English and Religious Studies totaling 22 postgraduates programmes.
Responding to questions from mediamen, the Vice Chancellor said JABU has reduced the numbers of staffs to solve the problems of overhead costs. On Research Work for Academic Staffs of the Institution, he said “the Governing Council has approved a sum of N5 million. No active union in JABU. We do not affiliate with outside unions like ASUU. If we had done that, JABU won’t be in school by now, we would have been on strike.
“Government should spread the wealth of the nation instead of allowing selfish politicians corner the wealth of the nation for their own personal use”.
He advised the Federal Government to return public schools back to the Missionaries who will be able to handle the educational industry better.
“From the time of the olden days, government used to give out grants and aids to the Missionaries to help them in the running of the schools. The public schools were under funded by the government. When you visit the JABU laboratories, you will discover that many of the science equipments there cannot be found in any public schools”.
He then called on the government to sit up and ensure the Nigerian Educational System is upgraded.
Meanwhile, the management of JABU has also made very compulsory for all the students to study at least one entrepreneurship training or skill before graduating on the campus so as not to join the army of job-seekers after graduating from the institution.
Packaged by Emmanuel Adeniran
