The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Kolawole Salako has ascribed all glory to God for the successes recorded by his administration, declaring that his administration delivered on its mandate.
Making this declaration at a Press briefing heralding a media facility tour of completed and on- going projects in the university as part of activities for his end of tenure, Prof. Salako appreciated God for his achievements so far, stating that everything he achieved within the last five years was made possible by God.
According to him, he has no regrets as he carried out his duties honourably with his conscience, stressing that he made use of the resources provided effectively for the betterment of the University during his tenure.
Speaking on his strategy, the Vice Chancellor revealed that his Administration focused on infrastructural development and provision of equipment, stressing that he ensured that every building constructed during his tenure is functional.
He however admonished successive administrations to key into the spirit of continuity as his tenure ends on October 31, 2022, stating that the University Administration is a continuous process and should be seen as ours and as such should not abandon ongoing projects.
According to him, “anyone who is coming in next should see the university as one that belongs to us all and not abandon ongoing projects. There should be continuity because Administration is a continuum. Nobody should play God thinking that no one can do it better”.
“Most importantly, do not isolate yourself as an individual entity from others or the previous administration because doing so may lead to uncompleted projects”, he added.
The Vice Chancellor also said that his Administration met quite a number of uncompleted projects on ground at the beginning of his tenure, but he made sure he completed them.
“I gave what I needed to make the University work and acceptable to the public because this University is my life. Some projects are still ongoing and some may be completed in October. It is however expected that the person taking over will be reasonable enough to complete them”, he stated.
Speaking on some of the challenges faced in his Administration, Prof. Salako disclosed that some group of people deliberately tried to destabilise the University through concerted efforts but he overcame.
In his words, “there were only challenges but no regret. No matter how much you try, some people will choose to distract you. Some group of people tried to form a parallel government using all sorts of language by trying to bring the university down but it didn’t work”.
“Deliberately, they wanted to damage the image of the university with so much negative news online that was not true, but we overcame it. If you are opposed to any Administration, let your criticism be constructive”, he said.
He however pleaded with the media to always endeavour to hear from the other side before disseminating information to the public in order to avoid peddling wrong information about the university.
Speaking on the Upgraded Modern/Mechanical Facility for Palm Oil Processing, the Vice Chancellor noted that the project is iconic to him because it deals with agriculture and value addition.’
He stressed that the raw materials for the palm oil processing will be sourced from the university, adding that FUNAAB has about 70 hectares and large expanse of palm trees
Present at the event were the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Prof. Christian Ikeobi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Development, Prof. Babatunde Kehinde, the Registrar, Dr. Bola Adekola, Bursar, Mr. Chukwuwinke Ezekpeazu, and the University Librarian, Prof. (Mrs.) Fehintola Onifade as well as other top functionaries of the university.
