Sets up 2025-2050 strategic document committee

Shina Abubakar, Osogbo

In a bid to continue to deliver excellent service to the global community and position the Obafemi Awolowo University for future task, the Governing Council has inaugurated a committee to develop a 25-year strategic plan for the institution.

Inaugurating the committee at the University council hall, the Pro-Chancellor and Governing Council Chairman, Professor Siyan Oyeweso said though the university is a global centre of excellence, but must not rest its oars in a bid to meet the global changing challenges.

He disclosed that the University must continue to find a means to reinvent itself through the introduction of new programmes in line with students and national demands, upgrading existing facilities and provide new ones and ensuring alternative means of funding.

His words, “Despite its enormous achievements in the past five decades, it is the future that excites the imagination and challenges the institution to reach greater heights. From this perspective, the institution is grappling with a myriad of challenges ranging from low funding, deficit infrastructure, inadequate modernization, and inadequate technology.

“To overcome these challenges, the university administration has put together strategic plans detailing the way forward. These plans cut across the quality of education, the capacity for research, and the creation of modern infrastructures to make the campus a much livelier place.

“I do not doubt that this Committee will deliver. This is because members of the Committee have been carefully selected because of their expertise, passion, and commitment to excellence, I, therefore, charge the Chairman and members to work together to produce a document that will make the university an enviable institution where peace, justice and development will be sustained.

“On behalf of Council, I promise that we shall work hard to make OAU shine as a global centre of excellence, a veritable beacon of hope for all humanity through innovative research, teaching and learning, outstanding community services and corporate social responsibility on the one hand and by instilling in our students the much-needed values that can enable them to transform our nation and the wider community for the better forever”.

The Committee was co-chaired by Barrister Joseph Abaagu and Prof. (Mrs) Mujidat Olubola Babalola (DVC Academic), and has as members two representatives of governing council, two representatives, representatives of Senate, who are not currently members of council, two representatives of the Vice-Chancellor, three representatives of the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council and a representative each from bursary, registry and University Librarian.

Others include a representative from ASUU, CONUA, SSANU, NASU, NAAT, SUG, Alumni association, NANTS, ICT units, Legal units among others.