Westland Varsity will Curb Importation in Nigeria, Says Chancellor

Uchechukwu Nnaike

The Chancellor, Westland University, Osun State, Dr. Wole Adepoju has announced the institution’s plan to tackle the spate of importation in the country, as its main aim would be to focus on technical productivity of its undergraduates. He said the institution will be ICT-driven in the college and departments.

The Federal Executive Council had in January, approved the establishment of the institution, alongside three other private universities. The other three are Greenfield University, Kaduna; Dominion University, Ibadan; and Trinity University, Laloko, Ogun State.

In an interview in Lagos, Adepoju explained that the university would commence with a total of 750 students for screening, who would be offered provisional admission through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)’s Central Admission Process (CAPS).

He said the focal point of the university, set to commence operations fully in June, is to contribute its quota in stopping importation into the country by emphasising on technical productivity that will include designing and producing.

He added that the country’s economy has constantly faced setbacks over the years as a result of over reliance on importation, despite the fact that most of the raw materials used for the finished products were originally sourced from the country.

“We want to train students on how to produce, using locally sourced materials to meet the country’s 21st century needs. We will focus on innovation and raw material production for productivity which will be our area of strength, just as it will also be ICT-driven.

“Ours is a university that wants to do things differently. We want to make a difference in the university system in the country. Our university will be fully technical in nature; a university for technical and entrepreneurial skills acquisition and development. We want to stop the importation of not just textiles, but furniture and others.

“It is going to be a self-reliant kind of centre where no student will graduate and be looking for a job, an institution that will mould young Nigerians who will be willing to be selfemployed, students who will be willing to go into agriculture, engineering and other fields of endeavour, though not necessarily at the high level, but the skills would have been inculcated in them and they will be rearing to go.”

Adepoju expressed delight that the federal government is now thinking towards that direction, saying, “you know that our emphasise in the system and as a people has always been on certification, rather than equipping our undergraduates with skills that will readily make them employers of labour on graduation rather than going about to seek for white collar jobs that are not even available.’’

He stated that all the needed infrastructure for the take-off of the university are already on ground, just as the institution’s management has engaged the services of competent lecturers.

“With our connection in the diaspora, we are going to bring some of our best hands back home. We are wasting away our countrymen who rather than stay behind here, go out there to do menial jobs of all kinds just to make ends meet, even with their PhD, this should not be.

“The NUC has given us on pro rata basis, how many lecturers should be engaged in every department and we will work along the standard set by it.’’

The chancellor said the institution would commence its operation in phases, adding that it would start with two colleges, Physical Sciences and Social and Management Sciences as recommended or approved by the commission.

“Our phase two, by the time it will take off, will cover technology massively. We listed between eight to 10 colleges, which include Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, and others but all these cannot just commence at the same time, even if one has the means to carry out the operation.

“We have all our infrastructure on ground including state-of-the-art workshops which cover Mechanical and Electrical and Electronics workshops, as well as Architecture and Science Laboratory Technology workshops.

“The university also has Urban and Regional Planning workshop and Land Survey among others, and all these will be in the phase two of the take-off.

“These programmes should all go through gradual accreditation process, which is key in achieving perfection and academic excellence. It may interest you to know that the oldest university in the world, University of Athens in Greece, is still building.”