Governor Abiola Ajimobi commissioning UIDLC Centre

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State today commissioned the University of Ibadan Distance Learning Centre located at Ajibode Area of Ibadan. The centre which cost the university about N1.16b has a computer base test hall with 1,500 computers for examination, 500 capacity waiting room, 10 office space, a restaurant, a service centre, more than enough conveniences, three 500KVA generators, state of the art cubicles, seats and an integrated premises wide public address system.

Ajimobi who spoke off-hand painted the picture of how important the nation’s premier university is to him, stressing that he chose to honour the invitation to attend the commissioning slated to commence at the exact time his daughter’s marriage ceremony would commence in Lagos.
He added that he would not mind getting late to his daughter’s wedding ceremony in Lagos because of the love he has for the university which has made the state an intellectual state to be reckoned with worldwide.

He said, “After my secondary school education, I attempted to study medicine in UI but I did not meet up with the requirements. So I travelled out of the country to study medicine. On getting abroad, I attempted to study medicine but it did not work. Abroad, I discussed my plan with a diplomat over there that I wanted to study medicine and the man asked me to join him in a ride to a county hospital. When we got there, whenever we meet a doctor, he would introduce the doctor to him. The doctors are about 60 years. All the doctors including the professors of medicine have their stethoscope either holding it or putting it around their necks. Each of them has small small offices. At the end, we got to a well furnished and decorated office with television and met somebody of about 45 years of age that has lot of staff serving him. I asked the man that took me there and he said that the man is an administrator and I dropped my ambition to studying medicine to studying administration. So, I did not regret doing administration.”

The governor who described the premier university as the best and the first in Nigeria charged the institution to work with the state government. He said, “It is not only in the area of consultancy that you can be useful to us. You can produce economic blueprint for the state government and let us know how to develop the state in all ramifications.”

The Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Isaac Adewole who disclosed that UI DLC has 16,000 students (and 13,000 for post graduate) making it to surpass the students in the regular mode said that in the next six month, a large lecture hall of 500 capacity would be built in the centre. He said that the university would not stop at doing what would make it to maintain its first position in the country.

Speaking, the DLC director, Professor Bayo Okunade said, ‘It is our expectation to complement the existing structure with a convertible/adjustable 2000 seat facilitation building and office complex. Okunade who described DLC students as nomads who have operated from one facility to the other including EAC, Creative Academy, Alafia Institute, the staff school, and the school conference centre, all in Ibadan said, “One of the endemic problems that we have had to contend with in the past few years has been problem of space for our interactive sessions and essay based examinations. This complex holds a lot of promise in solving the problem of space which has been exacerbated by irregularity in the university calendar leading to DL competing for limited facilities as we cannot always hold on for the facilities to be free for students on DL mode. In recent times, it has been very difficult to plan ahead due to space constraint.”

He continued: “It is clear that this complex is very important to the centre and I hope, it will have a positive effect on aspects of our provision on regular mode. The centre will make the facilities available for the conduct of computer based examinations for students on regular mode. Very soon, given the capability and capacity of the centre which has largely appreciated by virtue of this complex, we will present a proposal to the university management on extending computer proficiency certificate programme to students on regular mode for a token. I am happy to report that, based on this complex, we are currently in discussion with the Simeon Adebo Training Centre of the Oyo State Government to partner with the centre in providing requisite training for Oyo State public service.”