By Emmanuel Edukugho

Professor Sidi Osho is the Vice Chancellor, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, (ABUAD). On the 2nd year Founder’s Day and Matriculation ceremony recently at the magnificent campus of the university, in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, she bared her mind on critical education issues and why she was given the exalted position of VC in this interview. Affirming that challenges come with the job, Sidi sees challenges as opportunity to excel and record success. Now, to the interview.

Madam, congratulations, as this university marks its second year Founder’s Day. ABUAD is said to be non-profit making, to what extent is this true?

When you say it’s non-profit, this means it is not limited, no board of directors. Every fund generated is ploughed back into the system. No sound education system without charging fees. We have to build infrastructure, pay lecturers, and so on, hence fees are charged.

Providing the best laboratory, hostels recreational facilities, world class cafeteria, to run and manage, so there is need to charge fees. It’s subsidised.

When we equate the fees to that in universities in Britain (UK), United States of America, one sees that fees here under charged. All facilities are on ground, just on year old, two sessions already gone. ABUAD is strike-free, cultism-free, uninterrupted, steady academic calendar. I think that is the word, instead of going outside.

How do you admit students as some people are saying ABUAD is breaking the rules on admission?

Well, I’ve never heard that. I am hearing it for the first time. NUC has regulation, JAMB also has a regulation. And admitting, arrange with JAMB every year. For all the institutions, there is a common score that is acceptable, minimum and maximum score.

The minimum score is between 180 and 200. If you have a JAMB score that is between 180 and 200 and you have all the six credits of the admission requirement for the course of study, that means you will gain admission to any university, including a private university. Such an institution is not supposed to break rules. We don’t break rules in ABUAD. We are doing what we’re supposed to do.

We have requirements that are stipulated by NUC and we’re following the guidelines. We have a limited number of students that we have to have in the school of Law, have limited number for Sciences. So, we’re not going outside any breaking of rules because that is not we are built on. We are built on integrity, honesty, and that is the only things we can tell parents. You must be qualified, we do what we call Post-UME (UTME) screening which qualified the students to gain admission here. There is a combined median score ….. the result of the WAEC, the result of NECO, of GCE, result of A-level, combined with the JAMB score, assessed by a committee which is the admission committee and then admission of the students become possible.

If we open our doors just for any student, then we are breaking the rules. And our goal is not just to open our door for any student. Our philosophy is to transform education. Those qualified to be here, those qualified to gain admission are the ones to be here.

We saw the founder and President Emeritus, Aare Afe Babalola presenting huge amount of money probably as gift and scholarship and merit awards to students at this level. How do you explain this?

Well, I don’t want to use the word gift. I want to use the word recognition, acknowledging character, academic excellence, brilliance. And that money is supposed to go into an account because it is like a scholarship so that they can pay their tuition school fees.

They can use it for upgrade of their financial capacity. There is a committee to manage them so that there is no wastage, no over spending. By now, their parents must have received letters informing them that their children are recipient of these awards.

I want to use this opportunity to thank the founder, the president of this institution. He is not only thinking of himself, he is thinking of others, because parents pay their children’s school fees. So he has no financial obligation to give them financial gifts.

He thought they should be recognised for their performance, for their good behaviour, for their good character, for using our facilities well.

And I think that goes a long way to tell Nigerians that we really need to imbibe the culture of recognition and encouraging others to do similar things. I think Afe Babalola makes impossibility possible.

As the Vice Chancellor of ABUAD, what are your challenges in office?

Well, challenges come with the job. And I see challenges as opportunity to make something for success. There is no job without challenge. First challenge is that the society needs to accept that its females can take responsibility and leadership.

The society most of all, needs good leadership, irrespective of the sex, and therefore in ABUAD, the founder selected a female as vice chancellor, female as Registrar.

That tells the story that he is gender friendly. And as far as he is concerned, it is believable and I don’t see myself looking at challenges. I look at the strategy to success, look at the strategy and key into that philosophy to reform education and for Afe Babalola University, students to be role models.

There are many professors who are in this university, your senior colleagues, how do you relate to them?

You know, it’s always nice to have on the team of your management, experience which you can explore. I have in my management team, two past vice chancellors; one from a private institution and one from public institution.

That wealth of experience can never be bought. They are there, you know, to support management, to see that we are doing things in the right manner.

We also have experienced professors and erudite scholars that are excellent, you know, excellent scholars in their fields, that are retired not tired. And have decided to instil that knowledge and they don’t have any other profession, and love to impart knowledge.

And I think they should be given opportunity. They are privileged, they are faultless and they are imparting knowledge and contributing to the philosophy and development of education. I will love to have them in my team.

We understand that there are contract lecturers coming from other institutions where they are working. How do you see this?

That is not true in ABUAD. I have a copy of every contract of academic staff. 90 per cent of our staff have been hired to do their job. They are erudite scholars and professors, we have graduate assistants, lecturer 1 lecturer 2, senior lecturers, chief readers, associate professors – we have them here.

And we have those who have chosen to do sabbaticals in this institution. And so they are ready to spend one year or leave of absence. 80 per cent of our staff are regular staff.

What about foreign students and lecturers coming to ABUAD?

We have a very different curriculum approved by NUC and institutional requirements which allow our students to pass through the language centre – a foreign language, and Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa. Passing through food security centre. Pass through sports centre, pass through leadership centre, internship centre (national and international), enterprise centre.

At other levels, our students can go abroad – to USA, UK, South Africa. We are moving to test-run this in summer and to also receive others from USA, UK to join their colleagues in 100 level.

What are the academic programmes in this university?

In addition to the pioneering colleges of Law, Sciences, Social and Management Sciences, others like College of Education, College of Arts and Humanities, College of Health Sciences, College of Engineering, including Mechanical Engineering, College of Agriculture, have been added.

How many students are matriculating in this academic session?

Six hundred and thirteen students — 286 females and 327 males, indicating that we are “the fastest growing private university in Nigeria,”with students from all the 36 states of the federation.

This is an unprecedented record for any Nigerian private university within the first year of its take-off, and diverse material and spiritual background. Aare Afe Babalola’s vision of a holistic qualitative university education is fast taking the desired shape.

On parents, can you say something?

I want to specially thank our distinguished parents for coming from diverse destinations to support us. Let me remind the parents that we expect maximum support from them to achieve the goal of developing ABUAD students academically and morally.

How about your projection in the next five years?

First and foremost, we are going to graduate our first set – a privilege to be the Vice Chancellor. Second, we would have moved forward, do research, be a problem-solving, strong university, increased staff, explosion of students.