‘Professor’ (Miss) Opeyemi Oyelakin, the Bowen University’s 2023 One-Day Vice Chancellor, has stated that the university is the only in Nigeria where the vice chancellor vacates his office for students to demonstrate their leadership acumen acquired while still in the university.
Miss Oyelakin, a 400L Economics student, made the observation on Wednesday during a press conference organized to mark the 2023 edition of the One-Day student Vice Chancellor in the university.
She stated that since the current vice chancellor, Professor Joshua Ogunwole, introduced the concept of One-Day student Vice Chancellor in 2020, students in the university had been having a meaningful sense of belonging in the institution.
She said: “One day in a year in Bowen University, the office of the vice chancellor will be relinquished to students to add their value to the development of the institution.
“It is a serious programme as the mantle of leadership is transferred to students to take irreversible policy decisions that would influence positive change in the progress of the university.
“The student presides over a series of meetings with other principal officers of the institution, as the vice chancellor of the day. All the resolutions of the meetings on that day are binding on the entire institution.
“I want the whole world to know that Bowen University is a leadership training centre where students are exposed to leadership education based on the core values of excellence, godliness, innovation and social responsibility.
All undergraduates of Bowen University, irrespective of their disciplines, are undergoing training to be problem solvers.”
She said her agenda as the 2023 One-Day student Vice Chancellor was focused on improving the students’ wellbeing.
“I had with me two other colleagues who also won the position of the Deputy Vice Chancellors. They were Ajayi Oluwapelumi, a 500-level student from the College of Law; and Akinloye Esther, 400-level student from the College of Medicine &Surgery.
“Prior to our official taking over of the university from the vice chancellor, we had a closed door meeting to strategise on the effective execution of our agenda. This development led us to initiate a meeting with the principal officers of the university and some concerned directors in the institution to call their attention to some oversight functions in area of students’ welfare.
“We took some decisions that would improve the system henceforth. When students’ welfare is properly handled, learning becomes stress-less and effective. This is the beauty of the programme.”
According to her, the One-Day student Vice Chancellor is open to all the students in the university, but the most brilliant students are eligible to participate in the contest.
Interested candidates will write examinations, do book review tests and an interview. From these examination stages, the best three candidates are considered for final elections by the students. The election process is the political aspect of the game.
The office of the One-Day student Vice Chancellor is highly democratic, as it is not only academic performance that takes one there, but also one’s relationship, level of integrity and friendship among students.
Speaking in the same vein, the two Deputy Vice Chancellors, Ajayi Oluwapelumi and Akinloye Esther, both described the One-Day student Vice Chancellor concept as a policy that should be sustained by the university.
They both said Professor Ogunwole, the current VC of the university and brain behind the policy deserves commendations and awards, as his administration is student-focused.
According to them, the idea exposes students to practical leadership experience while on campus and promotes excellence among the students, as everybody would want to be leaders in that capacity.
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