Our graduates should focus attention on 21st Century skills – Ologunorisa

Professor Temi Emmanuel Ologunorisa is the 4th substantive Vice-Chancellor of Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH), Okitipupa, Ondo State, Nigeria. He is professor of Meteorology and Climate Science at the Federal University of Technology, Akure since 2016. Prior to this, he has the honour of being the first professor to be appointed by the Osun State University in October 2007. On the strength of the quality and quantum of his research work in climate science (Flood Hydroclimatology), the United States Government gave him “Scholar of Extraordinary Ability Award” in 2018. In this interview with Deputy Editor FELIX KUYE, Ologunorisa, who recently clocked one year in office as OAUSTECH’s vice chancellor, speaks on how to check the rising unemployment among Nigerian graduates, and gave his scorecard on the progress in the university since he assumed office.

One of the major challenges facing Nigeria today is unemployment. How do you think the country can effectively tackle joblessness of the teeming graduates roaming the street?
If you study the developed economies such as the United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia among others, what drives them are the private sectors. The first thing the incoming government should do is to create an enabling environment for private sectors to operate and thrive. Why, for instance, are some businesses relocating to Ghana from Nigeria? Once we can solve some issues including power supply, insecurity-banditry, kidnapping and terrorism, including strengthening the rule of law, I am confident graduate unemployment would be drastically reduced. The private sectors, which are the greatest employers of labour, are virtually gone. So, the implication is that the jobs are not there at all. There is a limit to the number of people that can be employed by the government at all levels.

What practical steps should the incoming administration in the country take to reduce unemployment?
I have said it before, we need to reawaken all our industries that have closed for business. The private sector in Nigeria should be given a conducive environment to operate. Government needs to create the climate for industries to thrive. Also, we need to urgently address the issues of insecurity, banditry, kidnapping, terrorism in our country. They are big threats to our developmental efforts. We need to take a second look at the education sector. The sector urgently needs complete restructuring. Government should review the decision to cancel Polytechnic education, which is supposed to train the critical middle skilled level manpower required to drive our economy. We need to review the current British education system we operate. The system tends to place too much emphasis on paper qualifications. The new direction in the world now is that it is not enough to be a graduate. A graduate needs to be certificated in certain skilled area or professional areas to be able to access the job market effectively. Our graduates should focus their attention on the 21st century skills required for the market of today and more importantly the market of tomorrow.

Courses such as Artificial intelligence, Machine learning, Robotic Engineering, Mechatronics, Software Engineering, Cybersecurity, Data Science, Digital Marketing, Renewable Energy, Remote Sensing, Geographical Information Science/Space Science and Forensic Science, among others, are those that hold the key to current and future jobs. We have universities of Agriculture, yet we have food crises and shortages; we have Universities of Technology, and yet we have serious energy crises. The major problem with our universities of agriculture and technology is that there is low application of science and technology in solving our societal problems, including the challenges of extreme weather/climate change (floods, droughts, desertification, coastal and soil erosion), food insecurity, terrorism, banditry, Covid-19, Ebola, cancer, diabetes, water crisis, waste management, pollution control, resource governance and corruption. Also, the curriculum at secondary school needs complete overhauling. Our education is too theoretical and not skill driven. Our secondary schools including tertiary do alternative to practical in most cases.

How do you want the new government to prevent frequent strikes by ASUU?
Incessant strike in the Nigerian universities can be prevented if federal and state governments grant some level of autonomy to public universities. Our universities, like their counterparts in the United States, Canada, South Africa, and United Kingdom, should be allowed to conduct their own affairs. Each university should have autonomy in terms of freedom to admit its own students without going through JAMB, charge appropriate tuition fees, receive grants from government, determine the salary of its professors and other support staff, and determine its own internal governance without government interference.

Your university is 15 years old and is graduating students for the first time in 15 years. To what extent do you think the institution has achieved the goal of its establishment?
The goal of my university is to produce globally competitive graduates that are not only bi-lingual, entrepreneurial and equipped with 21st century skills, but also of good character. As a university of science and technology, we want to achieve excellence in teaching, research, and community engagement. We have produced about 1000 graduates since inception. Some of our graduates have obtained their PhDs in top ranked universities in Europe and North America, especially Canada and the United States. Some are working in the industry. We are achieving our mandates though we still crave to do more.

Why did it take up to 15 years to hold graduation ceremony?
Though OAUSTECH was established in 2008, academic activities did not commence until 2011. The university also suffered political neglect by previous government until the coming of Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu (SAN) as the Governor of Ondo State who radically changed the fortunes of the institution from what we can call “abandoned warehouse” to a modern university. He moved the university from the temporary site to the permanent site, constructed 2.4km access road and completed the Senate building, auditorium, and the library projects. There were previous attempts to hold convocation ceremony but were cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic, among other variables.

What are your achievements as the Vice-Chancellor since you came on board?
The first is program expansion. The number of faculties has increased from three to five. We now run programs in the School of Management Sciences and the School of Earth Sciences in addition to the existing School of Science, School of Engineering and Technology, and the School of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. We also have a proposed School of Maritime Transport and Logistics.

As a university, our research agenda is based on the concept of Blue Economy. This is the economy of the marine, coastal and ocean environment. To drive this, we established the School of Maritime Transport and Logistics, and the Centre for Blue Economy and Innovation. The school will run Bachelor’s degree courses in Nautical Science, Port and Shipping Management, Maritime Transport and Logistics, Maritime Economics and Finance, Coastal Tourism, and Maritime Security in collaboration with the Caribbean Maritime University, Kingston, Jamaica. This School will produce the needed manpower that will drive the blue economy of the state and Nigeria, especially now that the government wants to develop the deep seaport in the coastal region of Ondo State.

We are also repositioning the Postgraduate School. At the postgraduate level, we have also established two research centres – Centre for Blue Economy and Innovation and Centre for Governance and Business Technology – not only to increase our IGR but more importantly to drive the training of manpower in the areas of Public Administration and E-Government, Business Administration and E-Commerce, Finance and E-Banking, Agric Business Management, Forensic Accounting, Coastal Environmental Management, Fisheries and Aquaculture Technology, Coastal Tourism Port and Shipping Management, and Coastal Biotechnology.

To achieve result in these moves require putting relevant infrastructure in place. What have you done in this regard?
We have increased the number of infrastructural development and Tetfund projects. In the last one year, we have completed a twin lecture classroom of 300 capacity sponsored by the Needs Assessment under the Federal Ministry of Education, and completed the second phase building of the School of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources sponsored by Tetfund 2020 intervention. There is on-going construction of the School of Management Sciences from our 2022 Annual Tetfund intervention; 400 capacity ICT (CBT Centre) funded from 2022 Tetfund Zonal Intervention ansd Central Engineering Workshop being funded with IGR. We are also constructing a N60 million 300 capacity Lecture Theatre sponsored by Omodayo Owotuga Foundation and facilitated by the Special Adviser on Education, Dr. Wunmi Ilawole.

In the area of ICT, we have improved and also improved funding for the university. We have eliminated manual registration of courses by students through the introduction of a new student Portal and new software for result processing. The new portal has helped in the recovery of outstanding students’ debt of about one hundred million naira. We now issue e-transcripts.

A major challenge facing Nigeria today is insecurity, which also affects institutions of learning. Have you done anything special to ensure safety of life and property in your institution?
Yes, we have done some things. We have improved security of life and property in the university. The properties are now more secured with the re-structuring of the security architecture of the campus. Cases of theft and vandalism of our electricity cables and transformers, which were very rampant, have become things of the past.

There is what is known as 10-year strategic plan for Olusegun Agagu University (2023-2033), which will form the blueprint for its development. This is the first of its kind since the inception of the university in 2008. It will guide the operation of the university from 2023-2033.

You once spoke about a plan to boost the visibility and ranking of the university. How are you achieving this?
We really have improved visibility and international collaboration/partnership with leading universities in the world. To improve our ranking, visibility, research and academic standing, the university has signed a memorandum of understanding with some leading universities in the world, including University of Missouri, Kansas City, United States; Auburn University, Alabama, USA; University of Campinas, Sao Paolo, Brazil; University of Texas at Austin, United States; The University of The Gambia; ICT University in Yaounde, Cameroon and the United Nations African Regional Institute for Geospatial Science and Technology, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

Our goal is to move OAUSTECH from teaching university to a research based university. The website has been reconstructed for improved visibility and ranking.

The Olusegun Agagu Foundation donated N25 million for the digitization of the library project. Other achievements include establishment of Olusegun Agagu Leadership Academy for the training of the next generation of leaders in our university and the country; establishment of Olusegun Agagu University Press and Bookshop; promotion of scholarship and culture of research excellence.

What challenges are facing the university and how best do you think they should be addressed?
Just like any Nigerian university, we have challenges of power supply in the southern senatorial district of Ondo State where the university is located, and abandoned buildings such as the School of Science, School of ICT, and student hostels. Some of these challenges are receiving attention from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and Ondo State government under Governor Akeredolu.