The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kolawole Salako has commended the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) for the ongoing collaboration with the University, which is aimed at strengthening ties between both establishments. Speaking during an official visit to FUNAAB by representatives of ASCON, the Vice-Chancellor, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development), who is also the Board Chairman, International Centre for Professional Development (ICPD), Prof. Clement Adeofun, described the collaboration as a welcome development, stating that it would benefit both parties in many areas.
According to him, “The collaboration is going to be a win-win situation and it is going to be of great advantage to both of us. We can benefit from each other. What we are lacking, you can give to us and what you are lacking, we can also give to you”. The Vice-Chancellor added that there are other areas, which can also be looked into in terms of partnership and linkages, stressing the need for exchange and training of manpower in one aspect or the other. While describing FUNAAB as one of the most beautiful campuses in Nigeria, the Vice-Chancellor noted that despite the fact that FUNAAB is a specialised University of Agriculture, it had been able to extend its teaching and learning into other courses such as Veterinary Medicine and Engineering, among others. He stated that agriculture cannot exist on its own; adding that agriculture had gone beyond the surface level, which now requires a lot of technology and other socio-economic factors to operate effectively.
“Agriculture nowadays has gone beyond just the word, agriculture. So many things now go with food production and the food chain is so wide. Human development, scientific, sociological dimensions and other areas are needed to move agriculture from food production to laboratory preparation and other value addition factors before food can finally get to the table of individuals”, he stated. Speaking on the purpose of their visit, the Director-General of ASCON, represented by the Director of Studies/Head, Computer Department, Mr. Alabi Adebayo, stated that aside the University of Lagos (UNILAG), FUNAAB is the second institution that had partnered ASCON in Nigeria. He stressed that though partnerships in ASCON had gone beyond West Africa, he described ASCON as a prime institution that offers courses in management and administration that are beyond training in just computer and related courses.
Mr. Alabi appreciated the Vice-Chancellor for the warm reception by the University, declaring that the “Reception has been great” right from the school gate while lauding FUNAAB for its beautiful scenery. During the visit to the University, ASCON representatives were at the University Health Centre, where they were exposed to the rudiments of the newly-adopted Electronic Record Management System (EHRS). The Director, Health Services, Dr. Abiodun Amusan disclosed that FUNAAB was the first University in Nigeria to have such practical system domiciled within its premises.
The Director said the difference between EHRS and the manual system is confidentiality. According to him, “The electronic method ensures confidentiality once the password is well managed unlike manual record that can be easily accessed by anybody. We have about seven departments in this place and the office of the Director will serve as the Administrative Office, who can see what is going on in all the other seven departments. Any department which has no business in knowing about issues or records from other department would not be allowed”.
Dr. Amusan noted that the system is a functional web-based system, which is hosted in the cloud and would be used to train people effectively, adding that the Health Centre is the practical laboratory session of the process while the theoretical aspect is located at ICPD. He disclosed that the web-based system is a specialised application with subscriptions, cloud hosting, software engineering and maintenance fees being paid for yearly.
He, however, stated that the only aspect that needed to be worked on was to have a hitch-free process in the medical billing system, noting that there is no such billing session in any public health institution in Nigeria. The Director encouraged ASCON representatives to work more with the University, stating that the Health Centre would be willing to partner them for the training of staff and in the sharing of facilities. “We want to partner with you for our training and vice versa, and we can also share knowledge and facilities”, he added. Responding, Mr. Alabi reiterated the willingness of ASCON to collaborate with FUNAAB, especially in information and communication technology and health record management, among others.
