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By Gabriel Dike
The University of Lagos (UNILAG) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ambassador of Spain to strengthen a department in the Faculty of Arts with a Spanish lecturer.
The MoU was signed by Vice Chancellor of UNILAG, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe and the Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency, Mr. Joan Sell at the Senate Chambers.
The Ambassador of Mexico, His Excellency, Mr. Juan Miranda, Consul General of Equatorial Guinea, Mr. Joaquia Esono, Consul General of Spain in Lagos, Mr. Daniel Losada and principal officers of the university, also witnessed the signing-in-ceremony.
Giving an overview of the university, the Deputy VC (academic research), Prof. Bola Oboh, said UNILAG is the heart of the country with a student enrollment of about 60,000 and 280 full professors.
She disclosed that UNILAG has 12 faculties, two World Bank centres, host two centres of excellence and 26 patents as well as seven prototype projects.
Prof. Iboh said the university would seek further collaboration with Spain in the area of student exchange, research and joint degree.
In his remarks, the Spanish ambassador, Mr. Sell, said when his country started thinking about the project, they knew the destination, adding, “we did the right choice of picking UNILAG.”
He disclosed that the MoU has created a Chair of Spanish, which would result in the sending of a professor next year to the Department of Modern European Language and Integration Studies.
According to him, the presence of the Mexican ambassador and Equatorial Guinea consul general at the signing of the MoU is an indication that the Spanish language is spoken by millions of people in the World.
Sell said the MoU would bring Nigeria and Spain closure in other collaboration.
Said he: “The MoU will allow us to send a lecturer to work in Modern European Language. He will teach Spanish and grow the programme.
“It will bring the countries closer. Spanish is spoken by over 500million people in over 26 countries. The lecturer will help develop other programmes.”
The Mexican ambassador, Mr. Miranda, said the Spanish ambassador invited him because his country has 120million people, which is the largest in the World.
Miranda said with a Spanish lecturer in UNILAG, would attract other universities and programmes.
Earlier, the VC of UNILAG, Prof. Ogundipe, said the MoU would bring another programme to the university, noting, “in the short time, we will run a degree programme in Spanish.”
Ogundipe said UNILAG is moving to a university with space but without borders.
“We have nine foreign students in UNILAG. We will attract more students with the Special Hostel for foreign.
