By Our Reporter
Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, on Wednesday underscored the role of alumni in the development of universities across the country, saying that their contributions were essential to improving academic standards and driving institutional progress.
Hamzat said this while receiving the team from the Faculty of Technology, University of Ibadan, led by the Dean, Prof. Isaac Bamgboye, at the Office of the Deputy Governor, the Roundhouse, Alausa, Ikeja.
The deputy governor said that based on this, universities needed to pursue alumni engagement with seriousness, emphasizing that institutions around the world thrived largely on the support from their graduates.
"It is important for our universities to actively strengthen and maintain good relationships with alumni. Let us hold ourselves accountable and keep building a strong, supportive alumni culture. I am very pleased with this renewed initiative in the University of Ibadan, and we must ensure it continues," he said.
Speaking further, the deputy governor highlighted that alumni support their former secondary and primary schools through various projects, saying that similar approach would greatly benefit higher institutions.
This was just as he cited his personal investment in improving facilities in his former schools, noting that he built a computer laboratory for his own primary school, and did the same for his secondary school.
"We do it for our secondary schools. We do it for our primary schools. In my own primary school, I built a computer laboratory. I did the same for my secondary school," he stated.
The deputy governor, however, appealed for a more coordinated structure to enable alumni to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of universities across the country, explaining that alumni were willing to support, but required a clear and organized platform to channel their efforts effectively.
Besides, he stressed that establishing structured alumni platforms within universities would enable graduates to replicate such contributions at the tertiary level to strengthen Nigeria’s educational system and ensure sustainability.
"In this country, we must create avenues that allow our alumni to contribute in a more organized way to the development of our universities," Hamzat said.
Earlier in his remarks, the Dean, Faculty of Technology, University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac Bamgboye, disclosed that the faculty would be celebrating its 50th year, intimating the deputy governor with some of the programmes for the event.
Bamgboye disclosed that the alumni were the faculty's focus for the event, saying that their contribution to the faculty had played a pivotal role in the development of the faculty infrastructure.
While appreciating the deputy governor for his contribution to the development of the university, especially the faculty of technology, the Dean stated that the students had been the driving force behind acquiring this technology, even as he noted that the occasion had been a remarkable moment for the faculty, the departments and the students.
"I know that the students have been the driving force behind acquiring this technology. This is truly a remarkable moment for the faculty, the departments, and the students, and it has been made accessible to almost everyone," Bamgboye said.
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