Enioluwa Adesina, a 400-level student at the College of Law, Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State, has emerged as the institution’s one–day Vice-Chancellor.
Adesina, while speaking on Wednesday, during the press conference organized to mark the 2024 and 5th edition of the annual initiative, opined that internship education should be made compulsory for every student in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
According to him, it has become imperative for Nigeria to key into the 21st-century education system where corporate world practical experience education is emphasized for every undergraduate in the tertiary institution. He noted that the experience gained during the internship process could not be overemphasized, as it would expose the students to practical aspects of their disciplines in preparing them for the market needs.
He also called on education administrators, especially at the tertiary level in the country, to consider the employment of the digital system of education in teaching and learning academic programmes in our Nigerian universities. Adesina noted that the development would go a long way to improve the learning and skill development process in students’ lives.
Speaking about Bowen University, Adesina, the fifth student to emerge one–day Vice Chancellor of the Ivory Tower, declared that Bowen University is based on excellence and Godliness, adding that the institution is equipped to produce not only skilful entrepreneurial graduates who can influence positive developmental change in their environments but also students endowed with Godly characters based on fidelity and integrity. He noted that Bowen University is unique and stands out among others in the country.
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Adesina reiterated that Bowen University is a leadership training centre where students are exposed to leadership education based on core values of excellence, Godliness, innovation and social responsibility, confirming that all undergraduates of the University, irrespective of their disciplines, are undergoing training to be problem solvers.
According to him, Bowen is the only university in Nigeria where the Vice Chancellor would vacate his office for students to demonstrate their leadership acumen acquired while in the university.
Our correspondent gathered that as part of the university’s leadership training programme for students, Bowen introduced the initiative in 2020 to create an opportunity for students of the university from 300-level and above with not less than 4.0 CGPA to vie for the position and if eventually emerges, lead the university for one day.
Meanwhile, according to the university’s rules establishing the initiative, all the administrative decisions taken by Adesina, also known as ‘Professor’, and his deputies, Miss Flourish Nwachukwu, a 400-level student of Microbiology; and Opeyemi Oladehinde, 400-level Accounting student, to move the university forward within the 24 hours, are bound on the whole campus.
Continuing, Adesina, alongside his deputies, Oladehinde and Nwachukwu, disclosed that many students from all the colleges in the institution who met the entry criteria applied for the contest, adding that aside from the current academic and moral standings, “We were engaged in series of computer-based test on leadership, book review and other selection criteria before the final elections, which, by the grace of God, we won the race.”
The initiative, which required the substantive Vice Chancellor of the university to leave the entire campus for the one-day Vice Chancellor to operate without his interference, was said to be part of the university’s agenda towards student-centred learning, mentoring and integration.
Speaking on the impacts of the development, an undergraduate student of the school, Aremu ArikeJesu, a 300-level student in Medicine and Surgery, stated that the students’ study-work system has been approved and will commence in the 2024/2025 academic session, courtesy of one-day Vice Chancellor initiative.
According to her, other decisions that the one-day Vice Chancellor and his team took on behalf of the student community included the lifting of the late registration ban effective till 11:59 pm, Wednesday 8th May 2024; introduction of emergency health services across hostels; training for all hostel managers, student executives and hall representatives – to be held during the long holiday; and approval of inter-campus sports competitions between Iwo and BUTH.
She further disclosed that a meeting was also held with the alumni body to strengthen networking and connections for internship opportunities and SIWES. “A memo was sent out to cafeterias to address unruly behaviour and issues of misconduct,” she added.
