UNILAG: Ogundipe hands over to Ogunsola, boasts of attracting N19 billion in grants

The outgoing Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Akoka, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, has said within the last five years of his administration, he has attracted about N19 billion in grants for top-class research missions to the university.

Mr Ogundipe, who stated this on Friday during a press briefing to mark his end of tenure, said he was able to achieve this despite the political turbulence, coronavirus pandemic and prolonged national industrial actions by workers’ unions that characterised his tenure.

He credited the feat to institutional loyalty, commitment of his team, and the camaraderie that exists between the administrative organs and the university community under his watch.

He thanked God and the university community for standing by him throughout the crisis which he noted was artificially created “to clog the wheel of progress.”

Meanwhile, Mr Ogundipe has also handed the baton of leadership of the ivory tower to his successor and the first female vice-chancellor of the 60-year-old university, Folasade Ogunsola.

Mrs Ogunsola is billed to formally assume office on Saturday as Mr Ogundipe’s tenure ends midnight Friday. He was, however, pulled out in a ceremonious manner by staff, students and well-wishers of the university, who filed out in their numbers to wish him well.

The elated Ogundipe listed his achievements within the last five years to include improved ranking, infrastructural uplift, innovative interventions and improved feasibility and globalisation.

Reeling out his achievements, Mr Ogundipe said under his watch about 14 research products were patented and that 64 start-up companies were registered for the students, who he noted have excelled in innovations and entreprenurships.

According to the VC, the university has a target of registering 2,000 companies for its students and that about 500 others are currently being processed.

He added that N200 million seed fund was launched with each entrepreneur among the students entitled to maximum of free interest loan of N2 million as seed capital.

He said; “The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) awarded UNILAG as the best university in Nigeria in accessing TETFUND research grants. This attests to the university’s commitment to maximizing every opportunity to attract research grants to the university.”

Mr Ogundipe added that the university actively seeks engagement in private sectors to draw on their experiences and that one of sorts is the UNILAG collaboration with a known automobile manufacturing hub which he noted later gave birth to the Department of Automobile Engineering on the campus.

“Yesterday, the space was commissioned and I want us to know that from that place we are going to be assembling cars and also it will be a centre for our research and development. Our students and staff from all the programmes will benefit from the trade,” he said.

Mr Ogundipe thanked various donors and facilitators of many projects to the institution including the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles (MFM) Ministries, Daniel Olukoya; Chief Executive Officer of Platform Capital, Akinloye Akindele; former Minister, Femi Okunnu, among others.

He listed some of the projects to include a four-block hostel, remodeling of the main foyer of the 12-storey UNILAG Senate House, addition of another floor to the Law Faculty, among others.

“Speaking of infrastructure, this university has experienced a massive turnaround in the last five years,” he said.

The outgoing vice-chancellor said the efforts of staff and students of the university have yielded positive results in terms of improved ranking and feasibility.

He said: “Our greatness in the last 5 years is best evidenced by the leaps we have recorded in global rankings. Pre-2017, the University of Lagos never made the Times Higher Education World Universities ranking. In 2019, UNILAG made its first appearance and was within the 801–1000 range. By 2020, there was a quantum leap to the higher band of 601–800. We progressed to 501–600 in 2021 and this year, 2022, UNILAG did not only emerge first in Nigeria but also ascended to the 401–500 range in 2022, leaving behind some renowned universities even in the United Kingdom.

“The 401-500 band places us in the top 25 per cent of universities ranked. I know from this win that we are buoyed up, not relenting in hard work and dedication as the aim is to be ranked among the top 10 universities across the globe. This we are committed to and this we can attain and will surely attain.”

He added that the success story “reflects the tenacious nature of our staff who bought into our research agenda.”