Anchor varsity makes case for ICT, internationalisation of research

We ’ll be among top five in 10 years, says VC

Anchor University, one of the private sector-promoted universities recently approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), is pushing for internationalisation of research and ICT-based learning.

Its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Afolayan, says the new ‘philosophy’ will add value to higher education and put the university on the positive map for higher education on the continent.

In an exclusive interview with The Guardian at the weekend, Afolayan, a professor of civil engineering and former dean of the faculty at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria and later vice chancellor of Landmark University, disclosed that the institution would leverage global resources and goodwill to make clear difference in character and learning as it looks to rank among top five universities in the country in the next 10 years.

He said: “The school was recently granted provisional licence by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and it is already partnering world-class universities through linkages and exchange programmes to rightly position the institution on the path of greatness,

“By the grace of God, within the next 10 years, when universities are being counted in Nigeria, Anchor would be among the top five. It is a matter of principle, knowing where you are going. To be among the first five institutions in Nigeria is our goal and we would work towards it. We are ready to take up the challenge. We stand on the foundation of faith and we believe within the next 10 years of the existence of Anchor, it would be among the top five in the country.”

While stressing the importance of information technology in developing institutions, the vice chancellor said the faith-based university would interact with other notable schools “by bringing some of our colleagues who have the experience from outside the country to lecture without necessarily coming down to the university.”

“We can do it through Skype and some other means; these are the things we have in mind. Our members of staff and students would be aggressively involved in research activities because it is through this that universities project what they can do or sell to the community within their environment and the larger society.

“We have ICT units in the university but because of our focus and what we have in mind, we would collaborate with other institutions to put the university in global perspective,” he stressed.