“Stop running down UI”, VC appeals to staff, students.

University of Ibadan (UI) Vice Chancellor, Prof.  Idowu Olayinka has appealed to the staff and students of the institution to desist from running down the institution by overblowing its perceived challenges in the media, adding that all these negative comments go a long way in de-marketing the citadel of learning prestigious image.

The Vice Chancellor, who frowned at the attitude of  “some staff and students who derive joy in blackmailing the university whenever they encounter any challenge” wondered why UI was consistently being rated as the best university in Nigeria by the National Universities Commission (NUC) if indeed we are as bad as they are negatively portraying us”.

“Yes, we have some challenges here and there, and we are addressing them, that does not therefore give people freedom to be going into the media and be running down the University with uncomplimentary statements and remarks. Our people must know that the world has become a global village. All these negative comments are being recorded against all of us across the globe. And, anytime we show up and say we are from UI, the world will confront us with all the negative impressions we’ve created for ourselves “, he said.

Prof. Olayinka who spoke while hosting the Founder and Proprietor as well as the officers of a recently approved private university, Dominion University, Bishop Taiwo Adelakun in his office remarked that high quality principles both in moral and academic training of students would go a long way to distinguish any private university that could embrace the ideas.

The UI boss who shared his foreign experience said Ibadan was popular across the globe as a result of its culture of excellence , pointing out that he was always happy each time he travelled and people outside the country testified to the quality of training in UI.

According to him, “In UI, our admission process is merit-driven. The National Universities Commission (NUC) allows us to admit up to 8,000 candidates but we decide to admit only about 4,000 because we are conscious of quality factor, more so we want every 100-level student and the finalists to be accommodated on campus, whereas we have just 9,000 bed spaces.

“The underlining factor is our culture of excellence and the need to maintain high quality standards”