University, Industry and Development Diplomacy:  The Case of Achievers University, Owo

Bola A. Akinterinwa 

Societal ills in Nigeria began to feature in political governance as from 1967. As explained by Professor J. S. Cookey in the Report of the Political Bureau in 1987, ‘corruption began twenty years ago.’ If the statement was made in 1987, twenty years ago cannot but mean 1967. Thus, in 1967-2023, Government has been fighting societal indiscipline but to no avail. 

When General Muhammadu Buhari was military Head of State, he came up with the policy of War Against Indiscipline (WAI). It failed. When he was elected in 2015, he said corruption and societal indiscipline would be thrown into the garbage of history. The contrary was the case. Corruption was raised to a higher level. Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT), Buhari’s Ministers are reported to be refunding quietly their ill-gotten funds. This simply means that leaders in Nigeria are bad. They have no good personality and are not well trained. This largely explains why Nigeria has been able to have economic growth but without development. It is against this background that the vision, the mission, the prescribed solution, and the academic staff retreat of the Achievers University, Owo (AUO) is particularly relevant in investigating and explicating the recidivist insecurity and non-development in Nigeria. 

Put interrogatively, how do we explain the unending kidnapping of school children and other innocent people? Is it true that the exportation of food from Nigeria to Niger Republic is aimed at making life more difficult for Nigeria in order to strengthen animosity against PBAT? Is the inclement situation deliberately provoked to undermine the administration of PBAT? Is the situation a reflection of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s prescription that there will never be any lasting peace in Nigeria until Nigeria is divided into Muslim North and Christian South? Is it because the governor and the governed are poorly trained? Where is the integrity and leadership personality of Nigeria’s leaders? What is the essence of university education in the growth and development of Nigeria? What is the extent of importance of the industry in nation-building? And perhaps more interestingly, what is the solution of the Achievers University, Owo, a private university, to Nigeria’s current dilemma? 

AUO’s Vision

In consonance with the vision and mission of the AUO, a 2-Day Academic Retreat, entitled “Teaching and Learning in Achievers University: Towards the Realisation of its Vision,’ was held on Monday, 4th and Tuesday 5th, March 2024 at the Isa Pantami Computer Based Test Centre of the university. The retreat was the second in the series. The first was held in 2008 at the defunct Owena Motels, Akure. Environmental conditionings have not allowed a second retreat to have taken place since then. In spite of this, the vision of the AUO has compelled a second retreat at this point in time.

In other words, why is the AUO accepting to undertake what is unwanted and considered to be a herculean task in recent times? AUO vision so compels. For instance, the Nigerian Private University Games (NPUGA) was last held in 2017. Since then, the games have been challenged by many problems and could not be organised. But Dr Ayorinde made it clear that there is no success or achievement that does not first begin with mountainous obstacles. It is the determination to remove the obstacles, sustain the efforts until a lasting solution is found, that prompts success to emerge. He argued that there is the need to breathe a new life into the NPUGA. This is the philosophy behind his readiness to play host to the 2024 edition of the NPUGA, which has been tagged Achievers 2024. It is the same philosophy that is driving the conduct and management of AUO affairs. Seeking to be the best in Africa and the world cannot but be an uphill task. Nigeria needs university graduates with this type of philosophy in order to overcome the teething problems in the Nigeria of today. This is why the explication of the AUO’s vision and the organisation of a 2-day Academic retreat are important for the purposes of further research inquiry.

As declared, the AUO management wants to have the best university in Africa. This is the immediate vision. It also wants to be one of the best universities in the world. This is the long-term vision. And perhaps most importantly, the AUO commits itself to producing ‘a total person, morally sound, properly educated and entrepreneurially oriented, and who would be useful to himself and to the society.’

Interpreted differently and interrogatively, why is it that we do not have total persons in the Nigeria of today? Where are the Nigerians who not only are morally sound, but also properly educated and can fit into the position of leadership in the country? How do we explain the fact that in April 2014, Chibok school girls were kidnapped, and again, in March 2024, the bandits kidnapped more than 280 pupils and teachers of the Government Secondary School and LEA primary school in Kaduna? Are the boko haramists still in the government of PBAT again? President Goodluck Jonathan publicly told Nigerians that there were Boko Haram elements in his government. Under President Buhari, his successor, Boko Haram insurgency had a low profile. Under PBAT, the insurgency profile has become higher. In this regard, how do we reconcile the conflict of interest between the order of PBAT, who instructed that all the kidnappers be fished out and dealt with appropriately and the incumbent Governor of Kaduna State acting to the contrary and opting to negotiate with the assailants? Is this not a case of a negative work-flow?

The first working paper at the AUO’s academic staff retreat was on “Workflow Management and Communications: the Challenge of Being the Best in a University of Achievement.  It was presented by Professor Bola A. Akinterinwa, who raised the issue of backward workflow as a major obstacle to educational development and nation-building. Work-flow is of two types: Sequential and Parallel. Sequential work-flows involve a series of steps, which are followed one after the other until completion of the task. Rules are often adopted to drive the work-flow step-by-step. On the contrary, parallel work-flow involves a series of steps that can be tackled. Regardless of the typology of work-flow and regardless of the types of workflow systems, the work-flow is about automation, about collective approach to achieving success, about promoting greater effectiveness and productivity and preventing any obstacle to progress, and most significantly, and about fast-tracking the completion of every step taken to advance the vision of an organisation, or business, or university.

The point to note here is the challenge of backward work-flow, that is, while efforts are being made by some people, backward work-flows are unnecessarily preventing the free flow of efforts at progress. It is precisely this issue of obstacles to the spirit of work-flow that constitutes the source of the concerns of the founder and Pro-Chancellor of the AUO, Hon. Dr. Olabode Oluwasola Ayorinde. As he noted in his keynote address, his dream of a university is not simply to have a university in Owo, but also to ensure that the university also gives ‘the people a pride of a place… where students are well nurtured in the fear of God and well prepared for life’s challenges.’ The Pro-Chancellor, who is also an astute politician and erudite academic, promoted last week as Associate Professor, with effect from 2021, at the Nasarawa State University, wants the AUO to be driven by ‘Information Communication Technology where all staff and students are taught to be computer literate within the first year of their joining the university.’ 

And most importantly, Associate Professor Ayorinde wants his AUO to be a special terra cognita of new research areas and ‘hallmark of academic activities. In his thinking and dream, the AUO should, in all ramifications, be ‘second to none in Africa.’ While appreciating the commitment and support of most AUO members of staff, of which there are 166 full time academic staff and more than 100 Associate and Part time members, Honourable Ayorinde underscored the need to be aware of the implications of backward work-flow and the need to avoid it. This was the essence of his message to the retreat. As he explained it to the retreat, ‘many of you have keyed into the (AUO) vision. Without you and your inputs we would not have gotten this far. We would have moved faster, if all of you had been so cooperative. You will agree with me that if a single finger in the body of man is aching, the entire body will not function properly.’ 

This is another way of explaining the situation of Nigeria where political governance has become very problematic, and where insecurity has become the hallmark of political, economic, and cultural governance. Educational value means nothing in Nigeria of today. True, entrepreneurial education can be emphasised and made compulsory at all levels of educational development in Nigeria. But more interestingly, why is the AUO seeking to be one of the best universities in the world and the best of the bests in the world in the long run? What does being the best university require? At the level of the AUO’s mission and vision, the university wants to provide the enabling physical environment, provide the enabling academic environment, graduate competent and quality graduates who would be self-reliant, highly productive and globally relevant in every sphere of human endeavour. The pursuit of the vision of the university, like those of many other universities, is taking place in a very dynamic world, in fact, in a changing globalising world. 

AUO and Development Diplomacy

Education policy in Nigeria is largely characterised by myopia, especially by unnecessarily refusing to accept that graduates of both private and public universities will work in the same political, economic and cultural environments in the country. Consequently, opting to fund only public institutions to the detriment of the private ones, cannot be in the national interest of Nigeria. The ideal thing should have been to encourage private-public collaboration on a yearly basis in the area of research and development. Government ignores the dynamic nature of the educational environment of the world.

In the words of the Acting Vice Chancellor of the AUO, Professor Omolola Oladunni Irinoye, a Professor of Nursing Science, ‘education in the 21st century makes high and different demands from educators because of paradigm shift in the nature and change of learners, demography of learners, highly technology-moderated world and the learning environment. The shifts in all aspects of our lives – social, economic, environmental and even political atmosphere – are redefining the structure, the administration and expectations of education and educators.’ In this regard, what should be the way forward for Nigeria and particularly for the AUO which wants to be a leader of leaders, particularly in the area of e-learning and teaching? 

4.1 Dynamics

-Have what others do not have 

-Be the epicentre of all academic disciplines and aesthetically the cynosure of all eyes

-Be a Specialist and leading University in areas that Africans are seeking help overseas

– Be the best in organisation skills: input, transformation, and output which are the three   elements of work-flow

-Be a model in self- and moral discipline, education development and nation-building

-More important, seek to become a centre of excellence in originality, critical thinking, and objectivity of purpose. In this regard, let there be a monthly brainstorming session on current international developments across all the disciplines and departments of the university on the basis of rotational policy. All the departments should be required to discuss current developments in their fields for about 20 minutes in one or two days

4.2 Requirements

–  Adopting a Policy of always recruiting qualified, high-level faculty members, who are committed to teaching and innovative research

– Prioritising innovative research and creativity as the priority of all priorities across the various disciplines

– Greater emphasis on inter-departmental collaboration on industrial research needs

– AUO-Private Sector Partnership on research on industrial and societal needs, with the ultimate objective of satisfying the manpower needs after graduation of students. This may require readjustment of the curriculum to respond to the needs of the industry. This will be helpful to theory and praxis.

– Infrastructure development – laboratories, classrooms, libraries, hostels, electricity and water supply, etc. 

– Selection of user-friendly workflow management and communication tools and provide training and documentation to users to help them effectively utilize the tools and interfaces.

– Ensuring that workflow management and communication systems integrate well with existing systems and platforms used within the AUO: Learning Management Systems (LMS), Student Information Systems (SIS), email systems, and collaboration tools.

–  Provision of adequate security protection of sensitive data within the workflow management and communication systems: encryption, access controls, regular security audits, and compliance with relevant regulations. 

– Establishment of feedback mechanisms from users on the workflow management and communication systems, as well as regular assessment of the effectiveness of the systems. 

– Encouraging faculty, staff, and students to actively participate in the workflow management and communication processes. This requires open dialogue, brainstorming, and sharing best practices, establishment of cross-functional teams.

– Ensuring effective communication and collaboration among various stakeholders 

– Integrating new workflow management tools or software with existing systems and infrastructure are challenging. Consequently, compatibility issues, data migration, and system integration cannot but require technical expertise and coordination with IT departments. 

– Because universities are dynamic environments with changing requirements and needs, workflow management strategies must be scalable and adaptable to accommodate growth, changes in organizational structure, or evolving technology. Flexibility in the system design and processes is essential to ensure long-term effectiveness.

– Shifting to a workflow management approach may require a cultural and behavioral change within the university. This includes fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Changing established work habits and attitudes may take time and effort, requiring leadership support and effective change management strategies.

– Successful implementation of workflow management strategies requires proper training and adoption by faculty, staff, and students. Providing comprehensive training programs and resources can help users understand the benefits, functionalities, and best practices of the new workflow tools or processes. Encouraging active participation and addressing user concerns can enhance adoption rates.

– As the AUO deals with large amounts of sensitive data related to students, faculty, and research, implementing workflow management strategies should include robust measures to ensure data security, privacy, and compliance with relevant regulations. This may involve implementing access controls, encryption, data backup, and regular security audits.

– Workflow management strategies require ongoing maintenance, updates, and support. Universities should allocate resources for system maintenance, user support, and troubleshooting. Timely addressing of technical issues, bug fixes, and user feedback is crucial to ensure the continued effectiveness of the workflow management system.

5. Conclusion

– In sum, AUO’s vision and mission are quite laudable and achievable. To become the best university in Africa must begin with becoming the primus inter pares in Nigeria, and then in the West and Central Africa regions, and then in the whole of Africa.

– Aiming to be the best only in Africa should be rightly re-interpreted as the ultimate goal while being the best in Africa is the mid-term level of the struggle.

– Addressing the foregoing challenges requires a comprehensive approach that includes effective change management, stakeholder engagement, and continuous evaluation and improvement of the implemented workflow management strategies.

– It is quite easy, even with the aforementioned challenges to become the best in all ramifications if we are able to jettison backward work-flow and show readiness to implement all the recommendations from the welcoming remarks, keynote address and the various lectures that will be hereinafter delivered. It is our portion, our destiny, to keep the lion silent because God says who can be against the AUO when God is with the AUO as an academic institution, as a people, and as the Mother of All Universities in the foreseeable future. Let us all be happy and grateful to God as better days are coming.

No industry can thrive without the input of university education. Businesses can always be established by coincidental or accidental factors, by conscious planning and imitation. However, the growth and development of the business cannot but be a resultant from advanced knowledge acquired from tertiary institutions. It is also the extent of development of the tertiary institutions, especially the university, that defines the extent of industrial greatness of a country. It was thanks to the industrial revolution, that is, the movement from the practice of agrarian and handicraft economy to the machine and manufacturing economy. The expression of industrial revolution is traceable to the French, but was popularised by the British in the 18th century, particularly by Arnold Toynbee (1852-83) in recognition of Britain’s development in the period from 1760 to 1840. 

Great Britain largely owes it great power status to the industrial revolution

A university exists as a universal terra cognita for training in national and international, especially in terms of nation-building, maintenance peace and security. Research and development, human survival. At the level of the private individual, university education enables self-development, acquisition of transferable employable skills, career preparation and development. At the societal level, university education is a requisite foundation for networking, economic growth, problem solving, and development of employable skills. In fact, universities is the breeding ground for knowledge. 

As defined by Professor S. Alexander in July 1931 (The Political Quarterly; https://doi.org/10.111/j.1467-923X.1931.tb00356.x), ‘a university is an association or corporation of scholars and teachers engaged in acquiring, communicating, or advancing knowledge, pursuing in a liberal spirit the spirit the various sciences which are a preparation for the preparations or higher occupations of life.’ More important, Professor Alexander also has it that a university needs ‘teachers as well as scholars. It does not exist only for acquiring or communicating the higher branches of knowledge, but for extending them as well.’ 

Unlike university, an industry refers to economic activity involving with the processing of raw materials and manufacture of goods in factories. Industry is generally defined as ‘group of manufacturers or businesses that produce a particular kind of goods and services.’ One common factor between a university and an industry is the fact that they are both a centre for socio-economic activities. The nexus between them and diplomacy is the issue of skills which is required in all the cases. Diplomatic skills, which covers various capabilities, like interpersonal communication. Effective leadership, public speaking, are required in various endeavours in the university and industry, are required in the conduct and management of relationships and various activities aimed at growth and development. It is against this background that the Achievers University organised its 2nd Academic staff Retreat on