ADDRESS BY THE VICE CHANCELLOR ON WEDNESDAY, 16 NOVEMBER, 2022
ADDRESS BY THE VICE CHANCELLOR, PROFESSOR KAYODE OYEBODE ADEBOWALE AT THE CONGREGATION FOR THE AWARD OF POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMAS, M.PHIL AND ADMISSION INTO MASTERS’ DEGREE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN ON WEDNESDAY, 16 NOVEMBER, 2022
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration)
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (RISP)
Registrar
Bursar
University Librarian
Provosts of the College of Medicine and of Postgraduate College
Deans of Faculties and of Students
Directors of Institutes and Centres
Heads of Departments
Members of Senate
Members of Congregation
President and members of the University of Ibadan Alumni Association
Members of the Students’ Representative Council
Honoured Graduands
Parents and Guardians of our Graduands
Gentlemen of the Press
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
It is with great joy that I welcome you all to today’s event, the third day of the four-day graduation ceremonies of the University of Ibadan. Parents and guardians, guests, well-wishers and the University Alumni are specially welcomed to this occasion, which is of utmost significance in the lives of the graduands.
Let me start by specially congratulating the graduands on the successful completion of their programmes after rigorous academic drilling. That you are obtaining this postgraduate degree or diploma today is a salute to your hard work, determination and commitment to intellectual exploits. Obtaining the Bachelor’s degree is not easy; not to talk of a postgraduate degree.
Today as you graduate, the Ibadan certificate will be awarded to those of you who have been found worthy in character and in learning. I have no doubt whatsoever that all of you present here have passed through the University and you have also allowed the great University of Ibadan to pass through you.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the 2022 Day 3 convocation has a total number of 647 graduates. Faculty of Arts has 1 M.Phil, 200 Masters (Academic) and 12 Masters (Professional), Faculty of Science - 1 M.Phil and 56 Masters (Academic), Faculty of Basic Medical Science - 1 M.Phil and 1 Master (Academic), Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources - 21 Masters (Academic), Faculty of Clinical Sciences 1 M.Phil and 1 Master (Academic), the Social Sciences - 5 Masters (Academic), Education - 147 Masters (Academic) and 2 Masters (Professional), Institute of Education - 31 Masters (Academic), Technology - 54 Masters (Academic), Veterinary Medicine 5 Masters (Academic), Pharmacy - 15 Masters (Academic), Law - 70 Masters (Academic) and Multidisciplinary Studies - 16 Masters (Academic) and 16 Masters (Professional).
In spite of the numerous challenges and disruptions that have been witnessed in the nation, we thank God that the University still has a lot of achievements to showcase. It is practically impossible, at an occasion like this, to exhaustively report all that have been achieved by the University in all areas in the last one year, nonetheless, kindly permit me to mention a few of our modest achievements in academic and human capacity building:
Ø The Department of Crop Protection and Environmental Biology has, in collaboration with the Postgraduate College instituted a scholarship scheme – the GAKOF Oladimeji Foundation Prize. The prize was established for the most innovative Master’s Degree Project in In Vitro Biology-Plant from any of the Faculties of Agriculture, Renewable Natural Resources and Science. Its establishment was to commemorate the contributions of Mr. Ganiyu Aremu Oladimeji and Mrs Kudirat Titilayo Oladimeji to Education and Agriculture, respectively, in addition to the education of the girl-child. The scholarship which was facilitated by Professor Morufat Balogun has a prize value of two hundred thousand naira (#200,000.00) only per session until 2024/2025 academic session in the first instance.
Ø The Department of Crop Protection and Environmental Biology was involved in a collaborative research activity with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). The collaboration is on ‘Yam Improvement for Income and Food Security in West Africa (YIISWA II)’.
Ø Similarly, the University of Cambridge, University of Ibadan and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) on the Cambridge-Africa-ALBORADA Research grant: ‘Characterizing tuber development in Africa Yam Bean, an under-utilized legume’ resuscitated a borehole at Ile-Ogbo for year-round production of yam and African Yam Bean to enhance teaching and research.
Ø The Ecological Society of Nigeria donated a rechargeable Professional Mobile Audio Amplifier worth #60,000.00 to the Department of Crop Protection and Environmental Biology for hosting the Resuscitation Conference in May, 2022.
Ø The Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) Programme of the European Union donated the following new equipment to the Department of Crop Protection and Environmental Biology to support advancement of Nematology education in sub-Saharan Africa:
1. 5 compound trinocular microscopes with 22 spare accessories
2. 3 HD ultra microscope cameras
3. 4 basic stereomicroscopes with 8 spare accessories
4. 2 zoom binocular stereomicroscopes
5. 1 zoom trinocular stereomicroscopes
6. 15 laboratory micro sieves
7. 3 sets of complete range of micropipettes
Ø The Department of Virology is one of the recipients of the TETFUND COVID-19 special grants with Professor Georgina Odaibo as the Principal Investigator. The project, held in collaboration with researchers from six other universities in Nigeria, is focused on the development of a simple and affordable diagnostic assay for SARS-COV-2, immunology and epidemiology of the virus in Nigeria.
Ø Dr. D. A. Dikko of the Department of Mathematics attended an International Conference on Quantum Probability and Infinite Dimensional Analysis, QP 42 at the Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore, India from 17 – 20 January, 2022 where he presented a paper entitled: “On the Existence of Solution and a Selection Result for a Class of Quantum Stochastic Differential Inclusions”.
Ø The following academic staff in the Department of Mathematics – Dr. M. E. Egwe, Dr. Ini Adinya, Dr. Taiwo O. Sangodapo, Dr. Olusola B. Ogunfolu and L. O. Ogundipe attended the 9th Annual International Workshop/Conference on Mathematical Sciences and Optimization at IMSP Dangbo, Port-Novo, Benin from 09 – 13 May, 2022.
Ø Dr. Aderonke B. Sakpere of the Department of Computer was selected to participate in the MIT-ETT Fellowship for the Spring 2022 semester from January to May, 2022 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA.
Ø The Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Management was approved as the African Union Centre of Excellence in Aquaculture and Inland Fisheries at the Extraordinary session of African Union in January, 2020.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, it is important at this juncture to commend some of our members of staff and students who have distinguished themselves in various ways in both the local and international scenes.
Ø In the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences of our College of Medicine, an Adjunct Lecturer, Dr. W. A. Adedeji won, in August 2022, a National Institute of Health (NIH) Emerging Global Leader (K43) Award. The International Career Development Grant, 1K43TW011995-01A1, would enable him to study the Influence of flouxetine on the disposition kinetics of dolutegravir among people living with HIV with major depression in Nigeria (FLUDOPRESS study). The award, worth over three hundred thousand dollars will be executed in collaboration with the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY-B) and the Northwestern University, Illinios, Chicago, USA. G. D. Morse, SUNY Distinguished Professor and University of Ibadan Visiting Professor and Professor F. A. Fehintola are Co-Mentors of the Awardee.
Ø Mr. Abiodun Olowo, a Ph.D student in Anthropology of the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology recently won the Leaky Foundation Grant of $4,384.00 to support his Ph.D research. His proposal entitled ‘Morphology and genetics of facial variation among Nigerian ethnic groups’ also won the competitive maiden edition of the Professor Babatunde Agbaje-Williams’ grant in the sum of #500,000.00 per annum, to be funded for four years. The grant which was instituted by Professor Akin Ogundiran of the University of North Carolina, Charlotte and the family of Professor Agbaje-Williams was meant to support Ph.D fieldwork in Archaeology or Anthropology. The project is being jointly supervised by Dr. B. O. Ololajulo of the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology and Dr. M. O. Adetona of the Department of Anatomy.
Ø Two of our M.Sc students in the Department of Computer Science – Adebayo Enitan (Matric No: 216449) and Tijani Abdulazeez (Matric No: 186150) participated in the ERASMUS Fellowship students-staff exchange programme at Birmingham City University, the UK between February and May, 2022.
Ø In the same vein, OYEWALE Christiana Titilope (Matric No: 224443), a second year Masters student in the Department of Computer Science was selected to attend a research conference at Heidelberg, Germany for 9th Heidelberg Laureate Forum (HLF) from September 18 to 23, 2022.
CLOSING
Ladies and gentlemen, I like to express deep appreciation on behalf of the University to all our numerous benefactors in the outgoing year. Though they have already been listed separately in the order of proceedings, nonetheless, we pray that God will continue to bless your endeavours and multiply your resources!
Once again, I congratulate all our graduands for your laudable achievement in this University. I encourage you to step up your quest for knowledge as education does not end with the acquisition of a certificate. The saying: ‘knowledge is power’ is an everyday truism. As worthy ambassadors of this University, please keep the flag flying.
May God Almighty grant you all journey mercy back to your various destinations.
Thank you for your attention.
Professor K. O. Adebowale, FAS
Vice Chancellor