Chancellor announces plan to establish Petroleum institute at TechU

Newly appointed chancellor of the Technical University, Ibadan, Oyo State, Chief (Dr) Tunde Afolabi, on Friday announced plan to establish, “with immediate effect,” Amni International Petroleum Institute of Energy and Petroleum Technology at the university.

He made the commitment in his address shortly after his investiture by the governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi.

Chief Afolabi said that in the institute, vocational training would be emphasized and delivered.

He also spoke of plan to institute an annual lecture series, beginning from this year, which will attract accomplished professionals of international repute.

The objective of the lecture series, he explained, would be to provide opportunity for the academic community to share their experiences and insight.

“Speakers will be mainly practitioners from the industry. It is my hope that these efforts will help galvanise other Oyo State professionals in the Diaspora to provide the much-needed support for the actualization of the lofty ideas of this university,” he said.

He congratulated Governor Ajimobi for making Oyo State to record another first in Nigeria, noting that Technical University has no antecedent in the country.

“This contribution to the education sector in Nigeria is a legacy that will continue to be a reference point in our country as soon as its products begin to dominate the education, commerce and engineering landscapes,” he said.

Chief Afolabi said he accepted the call to serve to be the pioneer chancellor out of his deep conviction that tertiary technical education designed to balance theoretical knowledge with market-oriented and demanded skills is what is Nigeria needs to take it out of its present quagmire of youth unemployment.

But he also challenged the governing council, headed by Professor Oye Ibidapo-Obe, and the management of the university to be ready to give their all into nurturing the institution to ensure that it is different from any other institution of higher learning in Nigeria.

The investiture was preceded by the matriculation exercise, during which, according to the Media Officer/Public Relations Officer, Mr Adejumo took their matriculation oath.

In his address during the ceremony, which also featured the unveiling of the newly formed university (musical) band, the vice chancellor, Professor Ayobami Salami, said The Technical University evolved out of the search to fill the gap between the suitability of the graduates and the requirements of the potential employers.

“The university strives to provide educational training that balances theoretical knowledge requirements with practical, hands-on experiences and skills in different academic disciplines as well as vocations of interest to the students.

He disclosed that within its short time of existence, Tech-U had already identified at least 10 inherent vocational skills among the pioneer set students, and had provided an enabling environment for the students to hone the skills, in addition to and as a complement to their academic programmes.

According to him, the students have also commenced their French language programme, and within the short period they had spent in school, all of them can undertake basic communication in French language.