Thomas Adewumi University (TAU), Oko-Irese in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, has in the last two years secured about N285m in research grants, both in cash and credits, from “strategic partnerships.”
The Vice Chancellor (VC) of the university, Fransisca Oladipo, who disclosed this to newsmen at the weekend on the institution’s campus to herald its maiden convocation ceremony next Tuesday, described the grant as transformative.
She also hinted that Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State would deliver the convocation lecture titled, “The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Future of Work: Implications for Nigerian Graduates.”
Fransisca added that the High Commissioner of the Republic of Namibia in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Humphrey Geiseb, would give the Convocation Commencement Address, while Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq would be the Special Guest of Honour.
According to her, the over N280 million in grants have fueled groundbreaking research and bolstered academic excellence in computing research.
“Our research initiatives have secured a total grant of USD178,000 in actual cash and over USD50,000 in research credits and other support for faculty, staff, and students from our strategic partnerships,” she stated.
Fransisca added that her leadership also has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with an Energy Consortium in the United States of America (USA) for creative funding of up to $105 million.
“Also, through the generous support of our founders, we have achieved record funding levels that have supported state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure. These milestones are not just investments in our campus but in the future of our students, empowering innovation, fostering inclusivity, and setting a robust foundation for generations to come,” she said.
She hinted that the school, which was officially licensed in April 2021, began academic exercises on May 16 of the same year with 13 academic programmes across three faculties, and is steadily committed to excelling across the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine, and Innovations (STEM-i).
“Since then, we have expanded to offer 27 academic programmes in 24 departments under seven faculties, with a solid record of achievement, including 100% full accreditation by the National Universities Commission (NUC),” she said.
According to her, between 2021 and now, we have doubled our academic programmes from the original 13 approved by the NUC for take-off to 27, and established four new faculties (Arts and Humanities, Engineering, Law, and Nursing Sciences), bringing the total to seven faculties from the original three as approved for take-off. We achieved 100% full NUC accreditation in all our academic programmes.
“Additionally, our LLB Law Programme is approved by the Council of Legal Education, while our Bachelor of Nursing Science Programme is fully accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria. Earlier this month, we presented our first set of Nursing students for the Council’s qualifying examinations, and we achieved a 100% pass.
“We are deeply committed to making a meaningful contribution to all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We are undoubtedly one of Nigeria’s most sustainable university campuses, with a 214KW solar farm,” she explained.
The VC, who is the Secretary General of the Consortium of Universities in Kwara State (KU8+), stated that degrees would be conferred on 26 graduands from two faculties and nine academic programmes, with six graduating with First Class Honours, 14 with Second Class Honours (Upper Division), four with Second Class Honours (Lower Division), and one with a Third Class.
Meanwhile, aside from convincing the media practitioners about the school’s landmark success since inception, the VC also led them on a tour of many facilities across the 300-square-metre premises, stating that almost all the raw materials are either produced or made locally.
