The management of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife has revealed its plan to
to partner with the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, NILDS, to train students on th nitty-gritty of politics.
The Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede let this out while receiving the Institute Director-General, Prof Abubakar Sulaiman, who paid him a courtesy visit on Thursday in the ancient city of Ile-Ife.
According to the VC, the intending move will be part of efforts to sustain democracy ethics, norms and values among Nigerian students, especially in the Students Unions in the country’s institutions of higher learnings.
Ogunbodede stressed that the university had one of the oldest Departments of Political Science in Nigeria, and had produced many political bigwigs and many others that are currently contributing meaningfully to the political space in the country.
He added that some of these political bigwigs did not study Political Science in their undergraduate years, but cut their political teeth from the institution’s student unionism.
“OAU is regarded as the Aluta headquarter which is under suspension, for now, noting that plans are underway to reconstitute a new students union body. He assured that partnering with the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic studies in training the students would make student unionism more responsible, participatory and provide democratic leadership.
Ogunbodede believes that the partnership would formulate a pioneer programme in the institution for other universities to emulate.
He assured his visitor of the readiness of his administration to support the programme and sustain it.
Reacting to the gesture, the director-general of the institute stated that the mission of his organisation was basically training and capacity building on research on how to improve the political consciousness of interested citizens across the country.
He, however, added that the institute is putting necessary things in place to partner with tertiary institutions, especially the ‘first generation universities’ in the country.
The DG concluded that, the gesture of the vice-chancellor was a right move in the right direction , and could be worked on within their schedule. He promised to intimate the Vice-Chancellor on the modalities that would make the gestures frutional.
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