Be focused, diligent, UNILAG VC advises new students……As Zenith Bank donates computer tablets to indigent, visually-impaired students

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, has chargeg the newly admitted students of the 2021/2022 academic session to be focused and always be good ambassadors of their families.

Professor Ogundipe, gave the charge while addressing the 11,885 newly- admitted students at the Jelili Omotola Multipurpose Halls, on Friday, at the main campus Akoka.

He also encouraged the new students to be prepared to own and take charge of their journey to becoming distinguished alumni of the University of Lagos and great citizens of Nigeria.

“Be prepared to take dominion of your journey to becoming great citizens of Nigeria. To do that, you will have to be diligent, determined, and focused”, he said, reiterating the determination of the University to raise leaders who go ahead to make local and global impacts.

The VC added: “You have to make up your minds now to be numbered among those great leaders who proceed from here to make remarkable contributions to the nation and the world at large. You must know that you have come here to conquer!”

He said over 50,000 candidates applied for placements in the university for the academic session, but only 11,885 of them were eventually admitted.

“You know the admission was in two phases. The total admitted 8,038 for the 70 per cent for the 2020/2021 academic session, and 3,847 for the remaining 30 per cent to complete the cycle,” he stated.

On measures put in place to check the issue of drug abuse in the institution, the professor of Botany said that the university has zero-tolerance for such a vice.

” It has been a practice in this university to ensure that all students that are admitted here, during their registration, are also screened for drug abuse.

“We have been doing that in the last three years. And those that deserve counseling, we direct them to the university counselors to counsel them. This year is not an exception,” he stated.

The highlight of the event was the donation and presentation of over 3,000 units of computer tablets to selected indigent and physically challenged students of the University by Dr. Jim Ovia, Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, represented by an Executive Director of the bank, Mr. Dennis Olisa, who expressed delight at being on hand to make the presentations on behalf of his principal, as an individual, and the Jim Ovia Foundation as a body.

While distributing the equipment, the VC said the essence was to ensure that every student is carried along in online learning.

Giving a breakdown of the distribution, Ogundipe said that 50 of the ipads would be given to indigent students, while 54 are for visually impaired students.

Ogundipe noted that meeting the academic needs of every student of the institution had been one of his administration’s core mandates.

According to him, the management of the university will continue to do all within its power to provide a level playing field for academic excellence for all students.

“It is our duty to strive to enable the disadvantaged to access education, especially in this era of technology.

“We are glad that this is coming at the right time and that is why we will waste no time in ensuring that those who truly deserve this are given promptly for maximum use.

“We have a total of 3500 indigent students, but some of them have already graduated.

“A total of 3,500 of the tablets were donated by Dr. Jim Ovia. So, what we have now done is to deploy some of the tablets, precisely 500 of them, to the library for students’ use.

“Those who want to use them could go there, borrow and use for about two weeks and return them, after proper documentation, just like somebody going to the library to borrow books.

“This practice will equally go a long way to assist the students’ access to education in any field, as well as enhance their performance, because of course, as we all know, not everyone can afford these gadgets,” Ogundipe said.

In his remarks, the representative of Jim Ovia, Mr. Dennis Olisa,  said the essence of the donation was to give back to society, noting that for any meaningful progress to be achieved in any aspect of life’s endeavour, there must be collaboration.

“I came here today to represent Dr Jim Ovia, the Founder/Chairman, Zenith Bank PLC and also in my capacity as the executive director of the bank. The only reason why we are doing this is just to give back to society.

“Whether you like it or not, for the mere fact that we are all standing, we are all alive and we are all breathing, we owe a duty to ourselves and also the society, to see how we can help one another.

“We have a slogan where I come from, that says; each one, help each one. That is why we are doing w

“Zenith Bank has been there for a very long time, we are here to stay and we believe that we are also part of this community. Students that have graduated from this institution work with Zenith Bank”, he said.

For a better society