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From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Ajayi Crowther University (ACU), Oyo in Oyo State, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), commissioned over N45.6million capital projects of the institution recently. The 10 capital projects were built through direct labour under the leadership of the vice chancellor, Prof Dapo Asaju, who will on October 1, 2017 clock two years in office.
The projects included N9.6million block of 10 classrooms, N9.35million shopping complex, N5.67million faculty of education, N3.4million clinic extension, N2.9million accounting department extension, N7.8million water factory, and N3.6million laundry and supermarket. The list of the projects also included N3.2million indoor sports complex, as well as N3.7million registry extension named after the pioneering registrar of the university, Dr. Josephine Oyebanji.
Asaju also led Olanipekun to some of the ongoing capital projects that would be ready for commissioning soon. They included language laboratory, Crowther Hall, blocks of nursery and primary school, central lecture rooms. Olanipekun noted that Asaju has justified his appointment with the level of his achievements in less than two years. He also observed that the financial costs of the projects were relatively lower than what is obtainable elsewhere:
“To us in ACU, this is our own humble way of telling the government that we have our own way of fighting corruption. We have our own way of instilling discipline to the financial sector of this country. How I wish government would take a cue from us. How I wish the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), will come to ACU, not to arrest, not to harass our management team, but to learn from us. Let the agency come to the university, visit our projects, take pictures with a view to evaluating and quantifying any of these “How I wish I have been the Pro-Chancellor of this private university before I worked as Pro-Chancellor in a public university – University of Ibadan. I would have been so much equipped maybe in my presiding over the technical board, project committee, College of Medicine and so on. It is not that I am regretting what we did there in U.I, but I would have learnt more.
“We want to challenge government to send people to Ajayi Crowther University and learn how we manage resources. Let them take auditors, architects, quantity surveyors, engineers and so on, to compare and contrast what we spend on our projects with what they will spend on their projects in the future, including government institution itself.”
Asaju promised that the ongoing projects would be completed as soon as possible. It was also on record that the road networks on the campus of the institution were tarred within the two years Asaju was appointed as the vice chancellor. When he was unveiled as vice chancellor in September 2015, though the appointment took effect from October 1 of the same year, Olanipekun had described Asaju as a round peg in a round hole, adding that he was the very best among all the applicants for the post.
Asaju’s choice, according to him, was a unanimous decision after he came first in the interview conducted for shortlisted candidates, saying Asaju scored 88 per cent in the interview to beat four other shortlisted candidates to emerge the vice chancellor. Eight persons were said to have applied for the job out of which five were shortlisted for interview, according to Olanipekun:
“The interview was thorough, painstaking and rigorous… Council at its full meeting unanimously approved the appointment of Prof. Dapo Folorunsho Asaju as the third Vice Chancellor with effect from October 1. This new VC is the very best. We are proud of him.”
Olanipekun, and his wife, Lara, had on Thursday September 29, 2016, donated to the university, owned by the Supra Diocesan Board (West), Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), a multimillion naira Vice Chancellor’s Lodge. The well-fenced Wole and Lara Olanipekun Vice Chancellor’s Lodge, painted carton brown is complemented with a chapel, library, bedrooms for adults, children’s rooms, bathrooms, guest rooms, kitchen, dining room, living rooms, etc:
“This university continues to hold a strong foothold in my heart because, most respectfully, it is an institution much like myself, that has been nurtured by the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) from inception, and in my case from conception, till date.” Olanipekun appealed to all members of Anglican Communion to come to the aid and assistance of the church, especially in the areas of education and charity:
“ACU should not and shall not die. Instead of recession, it shall face and witness unlimited progression. Members of the Anglican Communion who have been blessed and endowed by God should learn to give back, both to humanity and His kingdom here on earth. No man is ever remembered for the depth and width of the monies stockpiled in his vault or bank accounts after his death, but everyone is remembered for the good he did while still on this side of the divide.”
