OOU produced 265,000 graduates in 40 years –VC

The Vice Chancellor of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Prof. Ayodeji Agboola, has said the state-owned university had produced 265,000 graduates since it was established 40 years ago.

Agboola said this on Tuesday at a press briefing held at the institution to mark the university’s 40th anniversary.

The VC, who spoke on the theme “Lighting the path of academic excellence: Yesterday, today and tomorrow,” said the next five years would be used to consolidate various achievements of the past administrations.

Agboola explained that the university which started with 522 students and four faculties in 1983 has grown to receive 22,000 applications from candidates with about 7,000 quota every year.

He added that OOU, which was formerly known as Ogun State University, now runs 72 programmes with 65 having full accreditation by the National University Commission.

The VC also disclosed that the institution had produced 190 first-class graduates between the 2016 and 2021 academic sessions.

While speaking on the plans to address the rate of students dropping out of the school, Agboola attributed the development to funding.

He said, “Students dropping out in the institution when we notice that, we did the SWOT analysis of what happened to them, we came to realise that the major problem there is funding, so, we instituted immediate funding but, of course, it cannot take care of all of them.

“So, going forward, we have agreed that we are going to be doing work studies where funding will be given to just 500 because we cannot take care of all of them.

“With work studies, we are sure that the majority of them will be accommodated and that will also solve the problem.”