We’re determined to move Bowen from good to great institution —Ogunwole, VC

In line with the tenets of the Repositioning and Rebranding agenda of the university (Bowen), the word ‘good’ is no longer a choice vocabulary; and this is because ‘good’ cannot stand out, and Bowen is positioned now to be outstanding in all directions.”

Professor Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole was just two years in office as the vice chancellor of Bowen University, Iwo, when he made the above statement. Two years down the line and about nine months to the end of his tenure, it can safely be said that the university, with him as the ‘Team Leader’ (as he prefers to be addressed), has indeed been walking the talk.

For starters, its Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) is the only equatorial-low latitude SuperDARN in the world today.

Inaugurated November 4, 2022 by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, this landmark scientific project, a collaboration with the Virginia Tech (United States) and the Nigerian government (through its Centre for Atmospheric Research), is the 36th SuperDARN in the world, and, needless to say, the first and only one in Africa.

Nigeria is the 12th country participating in this international scientific collaboration.

According to Dr Olumide Oyewale Ajani, Head of the VT-NigerBEAR (Virginia-Tech, Nigeria Bowen Equatorial Aeronomy Radar), the facility, which will be fully deployed by January/February, will help in the enhancement of space weather research and understanding of the equatorial ionosphere.

It will help with communication (telephony); surveying and oil exploration; navigation (aircraft piloting, ship navigation); equipment designs; geo-mapping; study of atmospheric currents (weather forecasts and other weather dynamics, thus helping in agricultural planning); understanding and management of electricity grid disruptions, as well as improvement in the teaching of science, particularly Physics, Mathematics, Engineering, Computer Science, Geography, Geoinformatics, Geology and Astronomy.

“This is the 13th in the world; the first and the only one in Africa and the only one of such facilities in the middle latitude (equator). Because of the uniqueness of the equator, there is a need for a lot of adjustments. The other ones that we have in the upper and lower latitude have only 24 configurations; this one has 36.

“So, this is the first of its type in the entire world that has this number of array and that would be able to study the equator,” Dr Ajani Ajani told the Nigerian Tribune.

“It’s already being deployed, but it will be fully deployed by January/February. With this, we will know the amount of sunshine to expect in a year, the amount of rain to expect in a year as well as other weather dynamics.”

According to him, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) has already signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Bowen.

But why was the project sited at Bowen? Nigerian Tribune asked. Dr Ajani said the university secured the international partners’ trust because of its leadership’s demonstrable commitment, transparency, stability, and accountability.

To say that Vice President Osinbajo was upbeat about the project would be an understatement.

He said at the inauguration: “The VT-NigerBEAR is the first and currently the only deployment of an equatorial low-latitude SuperDARN anywhere in the world. I am very proud of Nigeria, and in particular Bowen University and the team that has worked on this project, placing Nigeria on the SuperDARN global map and in the network of nations that play host to the international scientific radar network.

“We need to pay attention to VT-NigerBEAR, not just because of its potential, but because of the ways in which it can change the quality of our communications using telecommunications devices, global positioning systems, satellite communications, military communications, aerial surveillance etc, and because its success will serve as a template for other high-level research and scientific collaborations between Nigerian and international partner institutions, connecting results to industry and converting data to useful information for commercial and social good projects.

“I congratulate Bowen University for this laudable achievement. I am optimistic that as you begin to operate this radar equipment, it will provide avenues for further research collaboration, private sector and equipment manufacturer partnerships, disaster planning, economic forecasting and support Nigeria’s communications and space projects.”

But this is not all. As part of efforts to increase the welfare of staff and students, the university under the leadership of Professor Ogunwole has also achieved a near 24-hour power supply through the installation and connection of a 33/KVA Power Station to the national grid.

There is currently a minimum of 20-hour uninterrupted supply of power on the campus, which, according to the Director of Students, Dr Aderibigbe Adebola, has saved the university not less than N300 million since its inauguration on February 21, 2020.

This writer also visited the university’s paddock and Milk Collection Centre, facilities set up not only for teaching and research purposes but also to advance town-gown relationship and assist dairy farmers and herders in the university host communities.

At the paddock, the Agric Officer, Mr Oluwagbenga Ajibade, told the Nigerian Tribune that there are currently 33 cattle. Here, the animals are fed in-situ (not grazed), and artificially inseminated with semen from species from Brazil, Holland or other foreign countries. This is because local breeds have limited milk production capacities.

The milk is then collected and taken to the Milk Collection Centre, for onward transfer (sale) to Friesland Campina.

Shedding more light on the facilities, a Professor of Animal Science at Bowen and supervisor of the project, Tunde Lawal, said the project was the idea of Professor Ogunwole, who felt there was the need to transit from extensive to intensive dairy animal management.

“When he came as the vice chancellor and he saw our animals moving around, he decided that he would ensure that we move from the extensive management to intensive management system.

“You would have also noticed that we have a Milk Collection Centre; that shows the presence of Friesland Campina in the university. We have an MOU with them, and the intention is to extend the CSR to Iwo and its environs. This means that dairy farmers in Iwo, Olupona, Ile Ogbo and others can instead of going into wara (pasteurized milk delicacy) production can just bring their raw milk to that place, and they will be paid immediately.

“We produce the milk at the paddock, transfer the milk to the Milk Collection Centre so that the chain can be a complete one,” he said.

He also confirmed that the cattle at the paddock have all been artificially inseminated with semen from animals procured either from Holland, Israel or Brazil.

“It means that the calves from those animals will not be our normal breed that we know in this environment; what we have is going to by hybrid. The hybrid animals are going to be producing milk in a very high quantity.

“Our own animals here reared by the Fulanis at most would give us one litre or two litres (of milk) per day, but the calves from those animals that you have seen will be giving us at least 15 litres per day.”

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Professor Lawal also said that as an extension of the university’s CSR, the hybrid male animals are routinely released to the dairy farmers in Iwo and environs to mate with their local breed, towards ensuring increase in milk production and, subsequently, their income.

“We (Bowen/FrieslandCampina) are already organizing training for farmers in Iwo and environs, teaching them what to do with their animals so that their animals can begin to perform better,” he added.

Under the leadership of Professor Ogunwole as vice chancellor, Bowen University has achieved other feats worthy of mention too.

For example, a number of new programmes have been introduced, including (Undergraduate) Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science (B.MLS); Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSc. Public Health); Bachelor of Engineering, Electrical & Electronics Engineering; Bachelor of Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering; Bachelor of Science, Politics and Law; and at the postgraduate level: Master of Arts, Religious Studies; Master of Arts, English; Master of Arts, History and International Studies; Master of Science, Statistics; Master of Human Resource; Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Food Science & Technology, and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Business Administration.

The university also achieved another first by securing the approval of the National Universities Commission to run the Politics and Law degree programme, thus becoming the first university in Nigeria to offer the programme.

In infrastructure development, two projects that will etch Ogunwole’s tenure in the consciousness of those that know Bowen University include the imposing Senate Building and the New Heritage International Scholars’ Hostel.

Others include the College of Health Science Building, donated by the Bowen University Parents Forum (BUPAF), for which the university advanced a loan to BUPAF to aid speedy completion; the 288-bed smart hostel and the College Building for the Computing and Communication Studies; and the 190-bed hostel facility at the Bowen University Teaching Hospital (BUTH), Ogbomoso.