Joseph Afolayan, Vice Chancellor, Anchor University Lagos, in the maiden matriculation event of its pioneer students has said that the vision of the school is to rank amongst the top five universities in Nigeria in the next decade.
This he said will be achieved by the partnerships the school seeks to forge with institutions around the world to offer a quality learning experience to its pioneer students and their peers after them. He was speaking at the Ayobo campus of the university in Lagos on recently.
Anchor University Lagos is a faith-based university and an off-shoot of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry. Founded in September 2014, the school commenced lectures in its three faculties in February 2017 with its pioneer 102 students registered in 15 different courses under the existing faculties.
The Vice Chancellor, speaking at the event noted that the ratio of private to government higher learning institutions were on the rise denoting the need for the private sector in partnership with faith institutions to invest in the educational sector.
The government institutions he said, is ridden with hassles and obstructions to the raising of holistic formation of the youth of the country into the future leaders the nation so desires. Constant strike actions that hamper academic activities, cultism and immorality have become the order of the day instead of the exception.
He stated that the mission of the university was to raise well rounded individuals with integrity and wisdom to tackle and solve the challenges of the economy. “Degrees will be awarded based on character and learning”, he emphasised.
In line with the changing world and technology-driven future, he stated that the school will employ world-class syllables to ensure the students it produces are able to compete outside the shores of the country.
He added that the school is adopting the progresses in technology in various ways including the conducting of lectures by lecturers from the international academic community using ICT instruments that make distance learning possible.
In his keynote address, Phillip Oluwi, Chairman, Board of Trustees of the university, expressed his gratitude to the parents of the matriculating students for trusting the school with their future. He assured the parents that the school was equipped infrastructurally, academically and morally to raise their students “to lead their different fields of endeavours with character, competence and courage.”
He urged the matriculating students to shun dysfunctional and depraved values which are prevalent in institutions of higher learning and charged them to take their future in their hands and work with their formators to make their stay at the university worthwhile.
Silas Dada, Pro-Chancellor, in his keynote address also urged the matriculating students to give themselves to the learning process to build competence, character and courage to transform the nation.
Dada stressed the value of university education in raising leaders of society and corporate institutions and urged them to work hard in their various fields to become leaders of tomorrow.
Speaking to the enthusiastic matriculants, W.F. Kumuyi, Chancellor of the University expressed his delight and appreciation to all those who had contributed to the success of laying the foundations and starting blocks of the university.
Kumuyi thanked the management and staff of the National Union of Universities for their unrelenting support and hard work in the inspection and approval process of the infrastructures already in place at the school premises in Ayobo, Iyana-ipaja, Lagos.
He stated that that society is improved by the quality of its universities adding that the focus of the university would not only be on academics but on the holistic transformation and development of its students.
KAY UGWUEDE
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