FUNAAB VC, Prof. Oluwafemi Balogun cutting the tape to commission the newly constructed COLMAS Building while from left is the DVC (D), Prof. Kolawole Salako, Ag. Registrar, Mrs. Christianah Kuforiji, Dean, COLMAS, Prof. Banji Oyelere and the Ag. Librarian, Dr. Mrs. Mulikat Salaam.

History was made, last Monday as the Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Professor Oluwafemi Olaiya Balogun, formally handed over the new College of Management Sciences (COLMAS), to its pioneer and Acting Dean, Prof. Banji Oyelere, as he charged him to “ensure that our students, in three years are certified as chartered accountants”.

It was a twin occasion, which also witnessed the formal commissioning of the College’s new edifice and the formal presentation of a brand new official car to the Acting Dean.

The event, which lasted several hours began in the Senate Chamber, where the Vice-Chancellor and the Acting Registrar, Mrs. Christiana Kuforiji presented briefs on the new College to the top officials as well as other members of the FUNAAB community.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Balogun, after introducing the Acting Dean of COLMAS, Prof. Oyelere, charged him, to strive towards ensuring the success of the students and that of the College.

Prof. Balogun tasked the Acting Dean on the need to ensure that the Accounting students were certified as chartered accountants within the next three years, recalling that if 39 out of 42 students of Osun State University, under Professor Oyelere, could be certified by ICAN, he should strive to do better in FUNAAB.

According to the Vice-Chancellor, “Professor Oyelere is not new in the business of raising exceptionally brilliant Management Science students. Your track record speaks volume. We could not have been luckier than the efforts that brought Professor Oyelere, who started the same Department at LAUTECH, which has become the flagship of the University”, he added.

The Vice-Chancellor disclosed that the infrastructure and facilities that the University had on ground, were enough to guarantee a smooth take-off of the new College and justified the quality of the newly-employed academic staff of the College with an assurance that, “Our minimum standard for the appointment of the foundation Lecturers and Dean, was not breached”.

He equally appealed to the new Lecturers to justify their appointments with dedication to duties, stating, “I want to plead with the Lecturers to, please, be up and doing. I go at will to classrooms to be able to assess performance, therefore, don’t be surprised if I am in the classrooms before you, at times”.

The Vice-Chancellor commended the efforts of some officials of the University for their individual and collective efforts in ensuring a successful take-off of the College. They include, the immediate past Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Professor Chryss Onwuka, the Head of Department of Agric-Economics, Prof. Adewale Dipeolu and the Prof. Kayode Bamgbose-led Committee, for a job well done, noting that “what should have been done in two years in planning and moving to the new College was done between six, to eight weeks”.

The Vice-Chancellor equally commended the roles of the immediate past Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Development, Prof. Segun Lagoke, the Governing Council, Senate, Registry, Bursary, Audit, Public Relations’ Directorate and indeed, the entire University community for their contributions to the actualization of the take-off of COLMAS.

In a special way, he lauded the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Julius Okojie, for his role in granting an “anticipatory approval” for the new College, exuding confidence that the University was ready for the impending visit of the NUC’s Resource Verification Team, pointing out that, “I am not afraid. Rather, I am always confident any time we have supervisory agents, coming for supervision. We won’t fail”.

Later in his response, the Acting Dean, Professor Oyelere, assured the University, saying, “God willing, we won’t fail. We have no excuse not to perform.

The facilities on ground are overwhelming, the people I’ve seen here are hard working, the Management is very committed. We discussed with our students last week. We gave them an orientation on what is expected of them. We will give both staff and students

the best, for the development of this College. Mr. Vice-Chancellor, I appreciate you so much, Sir”, he stated.

After the appraisal ceremony at the Senate Chamber, the University Management, led by the Vice-Chancellor, drove in a convoy to the temporary site of the new College, for formal commissioning, in a manner that a top official of the University described as reminiscent of the movement of the University from its Mini Campus at Isale-Igbein, to its present site, in October 1995.

Speaking shortly before praying at the dedication of the College building, the Dean, Student Affairs, Professor Sam Oluwalana, said of the new College, “This is a new future. The University is entering into its new future. It is not just to pray but to appreciate God and the people involved”.

Thereafter, the Vice-Chancellor commissioned the new College by performing the traditional cutting of tape, while Professors Oyelere and Bamgbose, led members of the University community and guests, notably, representatives of the banking industry, on facility tour of the various segments of the new College.