OAU Leadership Retreat Charts Path to Global Competitiveness

In a bold step towards driving institutional reform, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, convened a four-day retreat in Ede, Osun State, bringing together its management and governing council. The retreat offered an open, participatory platform to tackle some of the most pressing issues confronting the university and laid the groundwork for new strategies in governance, digital security, and academic innovation aimed at repositioning OAU as a leading institution in the 21st century. Funmi Ogundare reports 

For four days, the management and council of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) recently converged on the Western Sun International Hotel, Ede, for a retreat themed, ‘Towards a Better Working Relationship Between Council and Management’.

The retreat broke away from traditional boardroom sessions. Instead, the university council adopted a more inclusive and participatory format.

It aimed to ensure personal growth and development, while fostering collaboration, problem-solving skills, and communication among participants.

It featured round-table sessions and saw speaker after speaker making presentations on topics such as ‘Exemplary Practices of a Good Governing Council and Vice-Chancellor, ‘Innovative Strategies for Effective Campus Security in the Digital Age’, ‘Critical Issues in University Governance’, Enhancing Accountability and Due Process in Public Procurement Process in Nigerian Universities’, ‘Exploring Big Data Analysis and Artificial Intelligence for Institutional Growth’, ‘Role of the Registrars in Managing a 21st Century University’, ‘Leveraging Data and Technology to Generate More Value for the University Ecosystem’, among others, towards moving the institution forward.

In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adebayo Bamire, restated the need for effective and efficient operations to advance the university’s mission. He underscored the importance of leadership committed to achieving the institution’s core objectives. 

“This retreat is a strategic effort. There is a need for an institutional mindset to help us reach our goals. Effective use of resources, research, technology, community service, and a robust database are essential for planning. Critical thinking is also vital to developing a 21st-century university,” he stated.

The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Prof. Siyan Oyeweso, reaffirmed the council’s dedication to educational reforms and ensuring that the university fulfils its mission and vision. He described the retreat as a platform to position participants as strategic change agents, aiming to transform the university into a globally competitive, digitally advanced, and socially responsive institution that meets national and international needs.

Expressing concern over the university’s global standing, he noted that no Nigerian university appeared among the top 1,000 in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (2024), QS World University Rankings (2025), or Webometric Ranking (June 2024). He stressed the urgency for Nigerian universities to improve and meet international ranking standards. Key strategies he identified include enhancing the quality of research and publishing in high-impact journals, fostering community engagement, and boosting activity on the university’s website by encouraging staff and students to interact with up-to-date content.

Oyeweso also outlined the governing council’s role in promoting accountability, transparency, and global best practices. “The council has a fiduciary responsibility over the university’s funds and assets, which it manages through its Finance and General Purpose Committee and oversight of the Tenders Board. It is responsible for appropriating funds in alignment with the Strategic Plan and ensuring that income and expenditures are regularly audited,” he explained.

He added that the university would look to adopt best practices from institutions both locally and internationally. 

“Recruitment should cast a wide net to attract talent from near and far. The university must become a magnet for excellence. Appropriate recruitment is crucial to improving rankings and achieving academic distinction,” he said.

The National President of the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL), Prof. Sola Akinrinade,  who spoke virtually, reiterated the importance of united leadership in achieving institutional stability, trust, and sustained progress. He urged all participants to work collaboratively, set aside past differences, and adopt an open-minded approach for the greater good of the university.

“Institutional stability is built on united leadership,” he said. “It fosters trust among stakeholders, boosts morale, and supports consistent progress.”

He outlined four key principles for effective governance: shared goals, informed decision-making, conflict avoidance through clear boundaries, and unity of leadership. He explained that management insights must inform council decisions, noting that “management is closest to the ground, and their operational knowledge should guide strategic choices.”

Calling for open dialogue and mutual respect, the NAL president highlighted the need to set aside rigid positions and consider alternative viewpoints. 

“We must approach issues with open minds, especially if our desire is the progress and optimal growth of the university,” he said.

The former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, pointed out the importance of collaboration between the university council and management in ensuring effective governance and advancing the university’s core objectives.

Speaking to THISDAY, Prof. Olayinka, who teaches in the Department of Geology, highlighted the complementary roles of the two key governing bodies of Nigerian universities—the council and the senate.

“The council is responsible for the general management of the university, including finance and property, while the senate handles academic matters,” he said. “To fulfil the university’s mission of teaching, research, and community service, there must be harmony and cooperation between both organs.”

He said the two bodies should not work at cross-purposes, adding that a successful academic agenda requires a shared vision and unified execution. 

“You need both the council and the senate to prosecute the university’s agenda,” he stated.

He also pointed out that the structure of university governance already encourages collaboration. 

“Quite a number of council members also serve on the Senate. The vice-chancellor is the chairman of senate and a member of the Council. The deputy vice-chancellor is also a member of both. In fact, by law, the Senate has four representatives in the Council,” he explained.

In his paper, ‘Critical Issues in University Governance in the 21st Century: The Role of Council’, a former Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of the University of Ibadan and Professor of Sociology, Adeyinka Aderinto,  called for urgent reforms in the governance of Nigerian universities to address pressing systemic challenges. He identified deep-rooted issues undermining the quality and relevance of higher education in Nigeria. 

He described university governance as a rational political process involving the negotiation of goals and control mechanisms among multiple stakeholders. He, however, lamented that the governance structure in Nigeria’s higher education sector is currently riddled with inefficiencies and disconnections.

He highlighted critical challenges, including a growing disconnect between university curricula and real-world societal needs, chronic underfunding that continues to impact teaching, research, and infrastructure, poor governance practices, and excessive centralisation of decision-making. Other challenges include declining research output due to a lack of grants and weak institutional frameworks.

“The recognition of education as a vehicle for national development places higher education institutions under immense pressure to adapt,” he said. “Universities must proactively respond through innovation and effective planning.”

In his presentation, ‘Innovative Strategies for ‘Effective Campus Security in the Digital Age, a Professor of History and Director of Research and Innovation Management at Osun State University, Osogbo, Olukoya Ogen, identified a complex web of threats undermining safety in Nigerian higher institutions, emphasising the need for proactive measures and the strategic use of modern technology to mitigate risks. 

He warned that many of the threats originate from within campus communities themselves, often involving students, staff, and occasionally religious and political factions. He pointed to sources such as student unionism, cultism, radical campus groups, and internet fraudsters, colloquially known as ‘Yahoo Yahoo boys,’ as catalysts for unrest and violence.

He further highlighted infrastructural deficiencies, such as unreliable power supply, poor water access, and inadequate sanitation, as contributing to tensions on campuses. Staff-related issues such as internal power tussles, union agitation over salaries and allowances, and supervisory disputes were also cited as destabilising factors.

“Campus politics adds another layer of complexity,” Prof. Ogen noted. “You have academics who are politically active, those in business, and the core academic group. Often, this leads to envy, suspicion, and mistrust within the institution.”

To address these issues, Ogen stated the importance of prevention as the most effective form of crisis management. He argued that many crises could be avoided if security officials had access to timely, actionable intelligence. However, he lamented that such intelligence often fails to reach the right authorities in time.

“Modern technology provides a way forward,” he asserted. “Virtually every member of the university community carries a smartphone and is familiar with using it to communicate. We must leverage these tools to establish open, anonymous, and seamless channels for reporting concerns before they escalate.”

He urged the institution to invest in both technological infrastructure and trust-building measures to encourage more effective communication between campus populations and security officials.

Tim Akano, CEO of New Horizons, reiterated the importance of data-driven strategies in his presentation, ‘Exploring Big Data Analysis and Artificial Intelligence for Institutional Growth’, by highlighting how universities can utilise data to address real-world challenges, enhance internal revenue generation, and improve their global competitiveness. He identified seven critical challenges, which he referred to as ‘wrestlers’, currently threatening the survival and relevance of higher education in Nigeria:

They include an obsolete curriculum, a fragile funding foundation, a huge infrastructure deficit, poor conditions of service for lecturers, weak academia-industry collaboration, declining international student enrollment, as well as rising global competition.

Akano argued that research in universities should go beyond the traditional purpose of academic promotion. Instead, it should be tailored toward solving pressing human challenges, with outcomes that attract funding, industry partnerships, and international recognition.

He also proposed the creation of a comprehensive database for both students and alumni. According to him, such a system would foster long-term collaboration, attract sponsorship, and facilitate donations, all crucial to upgrading facilities and improving institutional rankings.

At the end of the retreat, participants described the experience as eye-opening, highlighting several issues straining the relationship between university management and the governing council. These included poor communication, lack of trust, conflicting priorities, and a tendency to overlook student interests. They highlighted the need for management to act more like administrators, focusing on long-term sustainability and institutional continuity.

On security, participants called for a comprehensive review of the university’s security structure, noting the ageing personnel and outdated systems. They advocated for a modern, technology-driven security approach supported by detailed cost assessments and external funding partnerships. While acknowledging the financial demands, they agreed that with proper collaboration, implementing an upgraded security system is achievable.

They also called for a university financial strategy document and appointment of a chief investment officer, developing a real estate optimisation strategy, collaboration with private sectors and creation of university endowments and grants office, forming industry-university alliances for technology, energy and finance, creating a research commercialisation policy, building data systems for real-time financial decision making, among others.