BENIN CITY: Edo State Governor Mr. Godwin Obaseki has charged the management of Ambrose Alli University (AAU) Ekpoma to set the priorities of the Institution right in line with the present economic realities and reposition the school to make it a world class University.
He gave the charge when he received the management team of the Institution led by the Vice Chancellor Prof. Ignacious Onimawo on a courtesy visit to government house yesterday.
Obaseki said the University has a long and proud history in the first decade of its existence as student from the Institution became price winner especially in Engineering, law, Architecture and Bendelite and Edo people became proud of the school. “We are proud of this legacy and we have to return it back to its glory days and how we want it to be.
The governor said the management of the Institution has a lot of work to do in the area of managing finances and their expectation. “You were fortunate in time past to have resources, they don’t exist anymore. The priorities are different and the kind of money, resources we spend in time pass we don’t just have it again. We need to review and focus on those key things that are important; this will enable us save resources for more important things.
He said the state has set a standard with Edo University in Iyamo of what a University should look like. “My hope is that I will be able to work with the management of AAU to upgrade the quality and standard of the infrastructure to what we believe Edo standard should be.
Obaseki commended the effort of the management team of the Institution led by Prof. Onimawo but says it’s far from what an ideal University should be and called for significant improvement ensuring transparency and the Institution should be open to change.
He said with a student population of 28,000 and the Institution offering high quality service should be able to generate fund to sustain enough revenue to make the University sustainable, functioning in a very sustainable way with high quality services.
“University all over the world are funded primary from two sources namely tuition and endornment. You are lucky to have both, the combination of these resources and with a very clear road map and master plan. I don’t see reason why we should have any challenges and problems. All it requires is a very determined, focused and disciplined management.
“I don’t know if you have a master plan and when it was last updated. The starting point is to see the master plan for the school, the physical and academic master plan to know exactly where we are working towards and the time line” he concluded.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of AAU Prof. Ignacious Onimawo thanked the governor for the support the institution has received so far in ensuring the Institution is placed among the best in the country.
He told the governor that the Institution presently has 12 faculties, 50 department and 65 academic programmes. “In 2015 the Institution received 100 million for the purpose of accreditation and 27 were accredited while seven were denied accreditation. As I assume office as the Vice Chancellor we invited National University Commission (NUC) to accredit the seven programmes five of the seven was accredited while the remaining two was given temporary accreditation. All the courses in AAU are accredited.
Prof. Onimawo said the cost of accreditation is very high as the Institution is prepared to accredit 32 courses which will cost two billion naira and need the support of the state government to achieve this feet.“As a University, we have done our very best to reposition the Institution amongst the community of Universities in Nigeria.
He said the school is rated as the best university that uses technology, best institution for financial record in Africa. He said his administration has utilize technology to the fullest as Senate of the institution uses E-technology, student union election is now done through E-voting and examination of 100 and 200 level students will be done through technology as student will get their result immediately as technology will now checkmate cheating.
The VC called on the governor to urge CBN and NDDC to complete its project in the school as it will go a long way to help the Institution solve some of the challenges confronting the school
