The management board for the TETFund Centre of Excellence for Diaspora Studies at the University of Ibadan (UI) has been established and launched.
Prof. Peter Olapegba, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), inaugurated the centre on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Kayode Adebowale.
Prof. Olapegba noted that Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), visited the university to sign the UI-NIDCOM Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), resulting in the establishment of the TETFund Centre of Excellence for Diaspora Studies in 2023.
He stated that the management board was constituted and inaugurated in order to realise the objectives for the establishment of the Centre.
According to the don, the Board will be charged with the oversight role of policy approval and ratification for implementation by the Centre’s Management Team. He added that the Board will also be expected to statutorily give a report of its activities to the Vice Chancellor.
Director of the Centre, Prof. Senayon Olaoluwa appreciated Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa and NIDCOM for their support, and the university management for its commitment to establishing the Centre.
Representatives of NIDCOM on the Board are Abdulrahman Terab, Head of Technology Transfer and Innovation Department; and Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Director of Media/Public Relations, among others.
A former Provost of the UI College of Medicine, Prof. Akinyinka Omigbodun, has proposed a composite model of interventions to improve tertiary education in Nigeria.
Prof. Omigbodun gave the suggestion while delivering the third part of the 44th University Lecture, titled ‘From Cells to Systems: Building a Vibrant Academy’.
The lecture served as climax to the series of inaugural lectures for the 2022/2023 academic session, and which was delivered in three parts. Other topics were ‘Cells, Organs and Systems: The Cell Engaging the System’; ‘The System Nourishing the Cell’; and ‘Making the System Function Better’.