By Fidelis David:
A Renowned Scientist and Vice-Chancellor of Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State, Professor Olukayode Amund, yesterday said that the institution has commenced a research of local interest by converting waste banana stem into threads for weaving fabrics and carpets.
Olukayode disclosed this while speaking at a press conference as part of activities that would mark the combined 6th and 7th convocation ceremony of the institution slated to hold from Friday, October 14 to Sunday, October 23, 2022.
He explained that the convocation lecture titled “Africa Renaissance: Key for New Global Leadership Paradigm,” would be delivered by the Vice President of Liberia, Dr. Jewel Howard-Taylor.
He said: “The essence of a university is to impact on its immediate community. So, we always look at what their needs are and tailor research towards that edge. For example, one of our researchers has been looking at how to convert waste banana stem into threads for weaving fabrics and carpets.
“It will be an extension to the community, teaching the community how to extract the fibers and using the fibers to produce POP box and some other things, which could be useful, so that they could create a local industry base on the research emanating from the university.
Olukayode described the mass emigration of Nigerian youths for greener pastures in foreign countries “running away from challenges. Where they are going is the same environment as we have here. All hands must be on deck to ensure that we make our own environment conducive.
“I discourage this idea of massive exodus. I had the opportunity of training abroad but nothing attracted me to remain there because you have more challenges at home to really address and once you have a vision and a mission to fulfill that vision and you are passionate about it, you are bound to get to the top of your chosen profession.
“People are not contented with what they have, that is the main driver of going abroad and when they go there, they do meaner jobs. It is highly derogatory. Those who are doing it are misguided and there is nothing over there that we can’t achieve here.”
While giving a statistics of the graduating students, the vice chancellor said that the combined convocation ceremonies for 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 academic sessions,.
According to him, “we are graduating a total of 489 students across the faculties, representing an increase of 16 percent over the number presented at the last convocation ceremonies.
“The university has recorded a number of milestone achievements. The Founder, Dr. Ade Ojo, has continued to single-handedly to fund physical infrastructural development.
“At the beginning of the 2021/2022 academic session, a new ultra-modern 400-bed capacity male hostel was built at a cost of N1.2 billion that was made available for occupation. Similarly, the new Faculty of Engineering Complex built at a cost of N1.0 billion became operational. Work has also started on the 1,054-bed capacity female hostel with a contract sum of N3.2 billion.
“Other physical structures like the university auditorium and the central library are in the pipeline. With the quality of buildings delivered, Elizade University prides itself as a model university of the pedigree of what is obtainable in European countries, the United States of America, Canada and Australia.”
He added that the institution has initiated a five-year strategic plan that would lunch the university into the orbit of development, while it is working hard to make the university autopilot, as this will make the school to be fully independent and run on its own.
Quite impressive.