The Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife (OAU), on Tuesday inaugurated the 12th Substantive Vice-Chancellor of the Institution Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire.

Bamire in his acceptance speech, decried the inadequate funding of the universities in the country and pledged to build an all-round management team for the development of the university.

The new vice-chancellor commended his co-contestants for their spirit of sportsmanship and enjoined them to work amicably with him in his five years tenure in an effort to bring development to the citadel of learning.

He also promised to improve the quality of education and research activities in order to bring in the needed development in the institution.

According to him, “I will sustain existing developmental efforts of the immediate past Vice-Chancellor, Professor Eyitayo Ogunbodede, by partnering with relevant stakeholders for further infrastructural development in the institution.

He, however, showered encomiums on Ogunbodede for his remarkable achievements.

In his remarks, the outgoing Vice Chancellor, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede, who handed over to Professor Bamire, appreciated the Ife Community Assembly and urged the university community and Ile Ife community to live in peace and maintain their age-long cordiality.

Ogunbodede thanked everybody who has contributed one way or the other to the overall success of his administration.

He, also, pleaded for more support from the university’s stakeholders for his successor so that OAU would attain much greater heights and be one of the leading institutions of higher learning in Africa.

Ogunbodede noted that with Bamire the university is in the save hands and urged all unions in the institution to support him in order to record good performance.

In his inauguration speech, the Pro-Chancellor, Owelle Oscar Udoji, congratulated the outgoing Vice-Chancellor, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede for his numerous achievements in advancing the University especially in the area of infrastructural development and several other ways which have ensured the rising pedigree of the university in the last five years.

He said: “It was noteworthy that this last regime has set a benchmark for successive vice-chancellors, saying the progress the university has recorded in the last five years has ensured that it remains a unique institution, one of the best in research and in ICT, that are sought after by reputable international bodies and institutions.

The pro-chancellor stressed that “in spite of myriads of challenges facing knowledge factories in the nation, the OAU with its tenacious tradition, has continued to thrive and blossom. Gold standards of practice which has remained the enduring legacy bequeathed upon it by its forefathers has ensured that the university retains the status of a quintessential Ivory Tower, while blazing the trail of excellence and exhibiting untainted scholarship in the process of generating and disseminating knowledge, thus making the university stand tall amongst its peers nationally and on the global stage.”

According to him, “the challenges facing the university are multifaceted. Although these are not peculiar to our university, a few of them tend to get worse and have over the years degenerated into an alarming proportion.

“One is the prevalent management/union crises. Without gainsaying, one should commend the successful effort of the immediate past administration to stem the tide in this area.”

He noted that to overcome some of these challenges, all stakeholders should be mobilised in building a viable 21st century university.

He said: “Running a university is capital intensive. Inflationary trends and the attendant dwindling subventions have challenged universities in Nigeria in recent times.

“Our alumni, friends, philanthropists and other admirers should be involved in the charitable task of maintaining a world-class status and buy into our vision.”

The pro-chancellor however added that “the university will only be able to sustain its enviable tradition when we all are ready to work together regardless of our differences. This university is our legacy, and we should be ready to make sacrifices to ensure that it remains the pride of past and future generations.”(THISDAY)

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