Christopher University, Established to Groom 21st Century Global Students, Says VC

Oluchi Chibuzor

The Vice-Chancellor of Christopher University, Mowe, Ogun State, Professor Oyelana Afolabi, has said that the institution was established​ to equip 21st century global students.

He said the institution is doing this through a process that would interface endogenous-local research and innovation with the development of need-driven educational programmes to produce highly skilled, globally and self-employable graduates, who may transform into entrepreneurs, and create their own enterprises and business opportunities.

He added that the university would adopt​ public-private partnership in the provision of quality teaching-learning facilities and resources.

This he said would produce transformational leaders who can provide the required vision needed for human emancipation in the scientific, technological, political and socio-economic domains in Africa.

Briefing journalists recently to announce the forthcoming convocation programme, the VC said the university, which started with 25 students seven years ago, has seen a 100 per cent student population.

He said his team would continue to work assiduously to ensure that his university becomes the only public school alternative in Nigeria, while establishing credible alliances to build quality infrastructure to engender best practices.

According to him, “most African countries are poorly developed when it comes to educational infrastructure and as a university we are focused on changing this trend to enhance national development.​

“We know that the current state of Nigerian public universities is very deplorable to meet 21st century​  global students. As a university, we would provide the much-needed institutional platform upon which to build and develop local initiatives and alternative adaptable indigenous technologies that would be capable of galvanizing Nigeria’s rapid agricultural, economic and infrastructural/industrial development as soon as we commence our engineering and science programmes.”

“We would establish synergies and collaborations with industries with the aim of ensuring a solid base for a high impact research, inflow of industry funds and the engagement of industry professionals and experts as facilitators and members of special boards to help initiate and build business models, and help improve the chances for jobs and employment for our graduates,” the vice-chancellor said.

According to him, the convocation lecture with the theme ‘Socio Re-engineering, Justice, Ethical Reorientation as a Panacea for Nigeria’s Quest for​  National Integration’, will be delivered by Dr. Anthony Idigbe, while the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Professor Abubakar Rasheed is expected to attend.​

He also disclosed that Ogun and Anambra State governors will attend as the special guests of honour.

He noted that as an institution that is almost going paperless, the university has full accreditation in all its academic programmes approved by the NUC.

He disclosed that the university which is mid-way into its phase two of development has gotten the greenlight from NUC to commence several engineering and medical sciences programmes, Aaside the commencement of law degree programme.

The VC stated that as a  university that believes in linking theory with practice, it has synergy with professional bodies like ICAN and a working relationship with Tempere University, Finland and Georgia State University.

On the convocation ceremony, Professor Afolabi  disclosed that the event is to convocate the first, second, and third sets of graduands, and commended the students for showing rare understanding in the face of developmental challenges.

“We have a total of 90 combined graduands, and these are students that have patiently gone through the academic rigour for a period of three to four academic years and were outstanding in their respective academic programmes; By simple percentages, we have a combined records of: First class (15 per cent); second class upper (45 per cent); second class lower (28 per cent); third class/pass degree (12 per cent).”