By Ugo Aliogo
Nexford University, established five years ago in Nigeria, has graduated 200 pioneer MBA graduates.
The Country Director, Nexford University, Olamidun Majekodunmi, who disclosed this during a hybrid graduation ceremony, held recently, in Lagos, said she ensured that Nigeria becomes a primary market for Nexford.
“Today marks a major milestone and also emphasises the impact of a vehicle of disruption like Nexford to the society at large. We must be proud of what we have all achieved together as we celebrate this set of 200 pioneer MBA graduates from Nigeria alone. This is only the beginning.”
She said with the MBA certificate from Nexford, the students are a cut above the rest.
Majekidunmi noted that they had applied extra tenacity to complete their online degree, despite many of them working full time jobs during a pandemic, “often without constant power supply and connectivity, combined with spikes in FX rates.”
An Advisory Board member of the institution, Obiageli Ezekwesili, in her remarks canvassed for public-private partnership in Nigeria’s education sector.
The former Minister of Education said, “It is about the public and private sectors working in harmony.
You have to address issues of access, relevance and quality, and it requires government as regulator of education, the standard sectors, as well as the private sector, with a lot more money to support the kind of quality faculty that teaches the kind of things that Nexford is able to teach.
“Every university system is determined by the quality of its faculty and curriculum. If you do not work with your private sector for tertiary education, you will be producing graduates that have no business in the economy; so, they will become jobless. It is important to bear that in mind in the way we design education policies.”
The Senior Pastor of Trinity House Church, Ituah Ighodalo, said the pandemic made virtual education part of the new normal.
“I want to congratulate the graduands. I think they have moved to the next level of education. Virtual education where you can receive education anywhere in the world and education-knowledge is power.
Without knowledge, the people are defeated, the more knowledge and exposure you can have, the more you can be an international citizen, the better you are,” he said.
