Vice-chancellor of the First Technical University, Tech, Professor Ayobami Salami, has hinted that he would be returning to the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, when he completes his term in May 2022.
The Ibadan-born academic, who is an alumnus of the institution, was a staff there before being called upon to pioneer the less than 10 year old first-of-its-kind university.
According to the university administrator who made these revelations while featuring on a weekly radio show, Parrot Xtra/Ayekooto on Radio’ anchored by Olayinka Agboola and broadcast live on Splash Lagelu 105.5FM, Felele Ibadan, “I never applied for the job, I was invited and given the job, it was given to me on a platter of gold and I was asked to resume immediately”.
Revealing that the law guiding the establishment of the school does not permit for the extension of the tenure of the VC of a university, he also explained his tenure as Tech-U helmsman has been an eye opener and a rewarding venture with its own peculiar challenges.
Speaking on the new ranking recently released by the National University Commission, which rated Tech-U as the seventh best state university in Nigeria, “I felt very fulfilled and when my tenure ends on the eighth day of May, 2022, I will be very appreciative to God. When we came on board, there was skepticism on whether the university would survive but in our little way, we put certain things in place to ensure our survival and God helped us”.
