Achievers University among 10 best in Nigeria – Pro-Chancellor

By Sunday Afolayan & Raman Abubakar, Owo

Within about 16 years of its establishment, the Achievers University, Owo (AUO), has been ranked as one of the 10 best private universities in Nigeria.

The ranking parameters include quality of programmes, calibre of teaching staff, availability of modern teaching aids and equipment, conducive learning culture and environment, as well as high performance of its graduates in the workplace.

The Pro-Chancellor of the university, Hon. Dr. Bode Ayorinde, who disclosed this at the two-day retreat for the academic staff of the university with the theme: “Teaching and Learning in Achievers University: Towards the Realization of its Vision”, held at the Isa Pantami CBT Hall, explained that this feat could not have been achievable without the unrelenting commitment of the management and staff of the institution to key into the vision of the founders.

According to him, managing a vast institution like a university, with diverse interests in a developing economy like that of Nigeria, where economic recession is a recurring decimal, demands a high level of commitment and focus, which he said were the hallmarks that distinguish the university from others struggling to survive.

Sequel to this achievement, Ayorinde disclosed that some owners of private universities in Nigeria have approached him at different times to acquire or take over their universities owing to their failure to meet up the expected growth as spelt out by the National University Commission (NUC).

The former member of the National Assembly, called on the management, staff and students to continue to forge ahead to achieve more feats, urging them to remain good ambassadors of the university in order to market its good brand and attract more students within and outside the country.

Earlier at the programme, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Esther Irinoye charged participants, which cut across lecturers in the 38 academic programmes run by the university, including Medicine and Surgery, Pharmacy, Nursing, Medical Laboratory Science, Law and others.

Irinoye explained that the university’s strive to be the best remains on course as plans are underway to provide more structural and teaching facilities in compliance with the international best practices and agenda of the founders.

The VC, who promised that the university will continue to promote and reward excellence among the rank and file, however, hinted that any lecturer, whose conduct is found to be at the negative scale of moral standard, especially in the areas of sexual harassment and examination malpractices, which  are capable of impinging the high standards the university has laboured to build over the years will not only be shown the way out, but also hindered from getting job in similar institutions across the country.