The Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, says the institution will not rest on its oars despite improvements in its ranking.
Ogundipe was reacting to the 2023 Times Higher Education World University Rankings released on October 12, 2022.
He spoke on the sidelines of the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ambassador of Spain on Friday in Lagos.
The MoU was for the teaching of Spanish language in the university.
Ogundipe said the improved ranking was well deserved and exciting, assuring that the institution would continue to push for a more enviable position among its peers globally.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the rankings were conducted based on 13 carefully calibrated performance indicators that measured an institution’s performance across four areas; teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.
NAN further reports that the institution has continued to fare better in the rankings over the years, especially since 2020.
The university took a leap from the range of 801 to 1000 in 2020, to 601 to 800 in 2021, 501 to 600 in 2022 and now, the 401 to 500 in 2023.
Ogundipe said that the university would not relent in hard work and dedication as the aim was to be ranked among the top 10 universities across the globe.
He said: “I will like to say that the development is a feat well deserved and very encouraging, and must thank the entire university staff, academic and non academic, for making this happen.
“Together we worked for it.
“Let me say the vice chancellor of Harvard cannot manage any university successfully in Nigeria and I stand to be corrected.
“This is because he will not need to talk about security, utilities, power supply and others, which I will have to think about.
“So, I want us to know that despite the limited resources that we have, despite the hostile environment in which we are operating, we are still able to showcase the fact that our colleagues in this university can compete with any professor, or other academic staff within and outside the country and outside this continent.
“That is what we have been able to prove.
“In the past, we used to talk about University of Ibadan coming first in the same ranking process and general outlook, but today, we are jointly in the first position.
“So, I want to assure you that we are making progress, and by next year, Unilag will soar like an eagle.
“I feel very excited that the university management is able to showcase to our colleagues that we can compete with any academic staff anywhere in the world.”
The professor of Botany noted that he was also elated that his colleagues in the institution were able to attract research grants and utilised it in the country like any other academic staff in any high profile university across the globe.
He said that with a conducive environment and and other necessity work tools, staff of the university would hold their own effortlessly anywhere in the world.
Meanwhile, Ogundipe was on Wednesday conferred with an award of excellence from the university’s Drivers Association.
This was contained in a statement by Adejoke Alaga, Principal Assistant Registrar, Communication Unit of the institution, and issued on Saturday in Lagos.
According to Alaga, the award, which was presented during the association’s inauguration ceremony, was in recognition of Ogundipe’s commitment to the welfare and promotion of their members.
She said that the vice chancellor had, in 2021, played a major role in addressing the bureaucratic barrier imposed on their cadre by approving a three-month Certificate in Driving Course.
Alaga said that with the certificate issued at the end of the course, drivers in the university and its College of Medicine could advance to CONTISS 11, as opposed to the previous CONTISS 9 bar.
She said: “While appreciating the drivers for the award, Prof. Ogundipe is quoted as reminiscing on the journey toward making the CDC a success in the university.
“The vice chancellor recalled his assurance to the CDC participants that the certificate would be used as assessment during their annual evaluation and promotion exercise, as well as his promise that the certificate programme would be open to other drivers in the university system.
“He expressed excitement that he was the tool used, in realising that to the university, and therefore advised drivers to always obey traffic rules and regulations.”
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Management Services), Prof. Lucian Obinna Chukwu, while delivering his remarks, was quoted as congratulating the drivers on the inauguration of the association, while urging them to focus on the welfare of their members.
He lauded them for kickstarting programmes leading to the send-off ceremony of the outgoing vice-chancellor, Prof. Ogundipe.
Chukwu also congratulated them on the scholarship opportunity provided them by the university management to participate in the driving course.
He urged them to ensure that they put in practice. all what they had been taught, to achieve maximum output.
The deputy vice-chancellor also commended the Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Lagos State Ministry of Transportation and Nigerian Police Force for their support to the university.
He lauded the provost, directors, deans, executives of the University of Lagos Women Society, led by wife of the vice-chancellor, Oluwaseun Ogundipe, and all others present at the occasion for identifying with the success stories of the Ogundipe-led management.
