The Vice-Chancellor, Lagos State University, Ojo, Prof. John Obafunwa, has said that the downpour experienced in the city was responsible for the bad road network and poor Internet connectivity in the institution.
He also said that in spite of this, the university has achieved a lot in setting high academic standards.
The VC spoke at a press conference at the institution on Monday.
Obafunwa said, “Recently, there was a downpour with attendant lightning, which damaged the Internet facility in LASU. The management is working on packaging a more robust Internet facility backed with proper bandwidth which will ensure that the network operating centre in each building would be powered off the grid by solar inverters.
“Also, some of the roads within the campus have been under pressure recently because of the massive infrastructural projects going on the university, whereby heavy duty trucks ply the roads on a daily basis.
“But, periodically, palliative measures are provided to stabilise the roads in order to ensure smooth drive. It is a fact that the terrain of the location of our university in Ojo is water-logged but the university has not recorded any flooding this year because of several efforts.”
Obafunwa added that the university was confronting its challenges so as to add value to the image and dignity of the institution.
He explained that his administration “inherited” most of the problems, adding that the challenges are being combated gradually.
The VC said, “We inherited liabilities not assets. When this administration came in, about 17 courses were de-accredited and we had no reliable database for our external campuses. One of the biggest tasks of this administration when we assumed office was to ensure that all the courses formerly de-accredited by the National Universities Commission were accredited.
“Sixteen programmes were accredited in March this year, out of the 17 initially dis-accredited. Apart from these, 18 programmes, some of which had interim accreditation status before, were recently presented for re- accreditation.”
He said the university would soon commence new academic programmes at degree levels in Aeronautic Engineering, Civil Engineering, Agricultural Sciences and Film and Cultural Studies.
He debunked insinuations that the planned restructuring policy by the Governing Council of the university would amount to job losses.
While commending the effort of the team in charge of LASU external campus, the VC stated that it took the intervention of the management to rebuild the Language Laboratory to its present state.
“Before this administration, the place referred to as Language Laboratory was almost non-existent. We inherited the place with defects which this administration had to fix. After that, the next thing we are planning is to refurnish the building. One great achievement in the School of Part-Time Studies is the institutionalization of the completion of the conduct of examination within 30 days across all the campuses and results are being uploaded within 48 hours of writing the examinations,” the professor of Forensic Pathology added.
Meanwhile, some LASU students have expressed dissatisfaction with the standards of the school’s Language Laboratory and Information Communication Technology.
The students, who spoke to our correspondent on Monday, described the state of some infrastructure in the institution as “worrisome.”
They wondered why the management restructured and repainted the building without providing adequate facilities for them to function well.
When our correspondent visited the laboratory, it was well designed but lacked facilities.
However, it was observed that the university was embarking on some infrastructural development, including that of the Senate Building; Central Library; New Faculty of Science Complex; Twin Lecture Theatre in the Faculty of Law; School of Transport Building; while the Faculty of Education Lecture Hall has also been refurbished.
