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FUOYE And Fasina’s Four Years Of Transformational Leadership

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Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina, a renowned professor of pedology, recently inducted as a distin­guished member of the Interna­tional Society of Diplomats (ISD), was on February 11, 2021, inaugurated for a five-year tenure as the Vice Chancellor (VC) of Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), an institution that is evidently one of the fastest-growing university in Nigeria.

A prolific researcher and writer with over 140 publications to his credit, and revered winner of several research grants, Prof. Fasina, a forward-looking administrator and educationist of note, is believed to have impressively transform and reposition the 14-year-old university for greater heights, in the last four years of his administering the affairs of the institution.

Under his watch, FUOYE has grown astronomically and exponentially to become the fourth most sought-after university from statistics provided by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB). Under his able and dy­namic leadership, FUOYE is today the number 15 university in Nigeria based on information from the latest Times Higher Education World Rankings.

With a student population of over 50,000, Prof. Fasina, widely described as a humble and compassionate leader, has succeeded in placing FUOYE far ahead of its peers and most older universities. The workaholic student-friendly VC as­sumed office four years ago, with a clear and compelling vision, and a sense of pur­pose, which he has pursued vigorously and resolutely. He took over the helms of affairs of the university with a well-de­fined roadmap that manifestly paved way for the remarkable feats that have so far been recorded under his custodianship.

Despite inheriting a troubled universi­ty plagued by crisis, the astute professor of soil science, a man of great wisdom, acumen and sagacity, has successfully stabilized the institution with the com­plete restoration of peace and harmony. Through his transformational leadership, as can be seen in the tremendous level of infrastructural development witnessed by the institution, stemming from his in­novative initiatives, ground-breaking ap­proaches and forward-thinking decisions, Prof. Fasina has succeeded in launching FUOYE into global reckoning. He has ad­opted a teaching model that seamlessly integrates on-campus and online learn­ing, ensuring high academic standards and flexibility.

In recognition of the way he has ef­fectively administered the affairs of the institution with utmost rectitude, trans­parency and accountability, Fasina was in November 2022 honoured with the Integ­rity Icon of Nigeria Award as No. 3 out of 170 Vice Chancellors, while FUOYE was ranked among top 10 highly rated, cor­rupt-free and most ethically responsible federal universities by a Non-Governmen­tal Organisation (NGO), Centre for Ethics and Self Value Orientation (CESVO).

The NGO, focussed on exposing cor­ruption, promoting ethical leadership and value orientation, had reportedly said that it was highly impressed by the speed with which Fasina was positively turning around the fortunes of the uni­versity, hence the award after scoring high marks in character and integrity, along with other leadership skills.

In 2023, the hardworking and vision­ary VC of FUOYE, was adjudged the Best Vice Chancellor in Nigeria by Digital Star­dom Global Communications, organisers of the Stardom Global Awards, and was inducted into the Stardom Global Hall of Fame. He reportedly emerged as the Best Vice Chancellor 2023 based on nomina­tion received from individuals and organ­isations, and an opinion poll conducted online by the organisers where Nigerians voted to adjudge him number one out of 264 universities. Prof. Fasina was also in 2023 honoured with an award tagged ‘An Icon of Excellence in Academia’ by the Ekiti State Correspondents Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) for his huge transformative contributions to FUOYE’s development and success.

A Fellow of the Soil Science Society of Nigeria (FSSSN) and Horticultural Soci­ety of Nigeria (HORTSON), Prof. Fasina has won several other awards, including the Southwest Nigeria Education Awards, Outstanding Administrator Award and NANS Best Performing Vice-Chancellor in South-West Award, all in recognition of his transformational leadership and outstanding contributions to advancing academic excellence and educational growth.

Also, a member of All African Soil Sci­ence Society (AASSS), Nigeria Institute of Soil Science, Agricultural Society of Nigeria (ASN) and International Union of Soil Science (IUSS), Fasina’s visionary leadership, has indeed positioned FUOYE as a leading university in the country. The various awards that have been bestowed on him obviously underscore the VC’s tireless commitment to upholding the uni­versity’s core values of teaching, research and community engagement.

Fasina’s creation of a conducive envi­ronment for teaching and learning yield­ed impressive results, with numerous students and staff receiving prestigious awards for outstanding research and ac­ademic feats. For instance, an accounting student of FUOYE had emerged overall best from among many other candidates who wrote the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) exam in 2023. Again, in 2024, nine undergraduates from the Accounting Department cleared their ICAN exams and became chartered accountants as students.

In 2022, the Federal Scholarship Board (FSB), granted N2.4m scholarship at N150, 000 each per session to 16 undergraduates of FUOYE, following their excellent per­formance at the Federal Government’s prescribed Computer Based Test (CBT). In the same year, nine outstanding stu­dents of the University floored their coun­terparts from several other universities in Nigeria to emerge winners of the UNES­CO International Centre for Biotechnol­ogy and Oba Enitan Ogunwusi Adeyeye, Ooni of Ife scholarship awards.

In 2023, six FUOYE students partic­ipated in the National Association of Engineering, Geology and Environment (NAEGE), MTN contests for outstanding Nigerian students held in Minna, and the institution that has become well-known for its academic distinction under Fasi­na’s leadership emerged the overall best. In the same year, two students who rep­resented FUOYE in a quiz competition organised by the regional chapter of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS) in Ibadan emerged winners.

At the Inter-Varsity Geoscience com­petition tagged Jos 2024, FUOYE team emerged the overall winner of the In­ter-varsity Geoscience Challenge Bowl in Jos, with many lecturers from the Geoscience Department receiving awards for their exemplary works as profession­als and academics. Seven FUOYE first degree graduates won PhD scholarships in United States (US) and Brazil last year. In the World Scientist and University Rankings 2024, the AD Scientific Index, released in November 2023, two academic staff members of FUOYE were reported to have been listed in the Scientists in the World Top 20% category, while four were said to have emerged in the Scientists in World Top 30% category.

All these academic awards and laurels being won by FUOYE students and lec­turers are, in the opinion of observers, a testament to FUOYE’s unwavering dedi­cation to nurturing academic excellence, and producing exceptionally sound grad­ uates, propelled by Fasina’s doggedness, indomitable will and quality leadership.

In the last four years, Prof. Fasina has demonstrated results-driven and collab­orative leadership working assiduously round the clock with his reliable and serious-minded management team to aggressively pursue the implementation of various developmental initiatives. He is said to have so far executed over 150 proj­ects since he came on board as FUOYE helmsman.

Some of his initiatives that were aimed at helping to boost the Internally Gener­ated Revenue (IGR) of the institution and support infrastructure expansion include the establishment of the Centre for Con­tinuing Education, the FUOYE Business School, the Institute of Part Time Studies (IPTS), FUOYE printing press, FUOYE bakery and staff canteen, FUOYE farm and FUOYE Sandwich programmes. About 40 classrooms are said to have been built from IGR generated from his several initiatives.

Over 20 major projects executed under his pragmatic and proactive leadership in the different campuses of the university were slated for commissioning during the 9th Convocation ceremonies of the institution.

The projects that were lined up for in­auguration at the main campus in Oye Ekiti, included 1000-seater auditorium, Prof. Abayomi S. Fasina’s Conference Centre, 3 in 1 Faculty of Science Labo­ratory, New Computer-Based Test (CBT) Centre, Professorial Office Centre, School of Postgraduate Studies Complex, Fac­ulty of Education Building, Faculty of Law Complex, Sport Complex Pavilion and Innovation Hub.

At the Ikole-Ekiti and Ayedun-Ekiti campuses, the projects listed for commis­sioning were an ultra-modern laboratory, two new 200-seater modern lecture halls, a JAMB-standard CBT hall, a sports com­plex, a professorial building for the Fac­ulty of Agriculture, a 250-seater lecture theatre, a 3-in-1 1000-capacity Faculty of Agricultural Sciences Laboratory, and two blocks of two classrooms donated by Hon. Akintunde Rotimi.

Prof. Fasina equally saw to the es­tablishment of FUOYE Microfinance, FUOYE Business and Transport Cen­tres, FUOYE Model Staff School, FUOYE Shopping Complex, Institute for Food Security and Commercial Agriculture (IFSCA), Centre for Energy Research and Centre for Psychological Services Clinic, Channelization and Construction of ring roads linking phases 1, 2, and 3 in Oye-Ekiti campus, Construction of befit­ting University Gate, Construction of the Student Union Building, Improved CBT equipment and decentralization of CBT Centres, creation of FUOYE Internet Dis­tribution System (FIDS) and many other landmark projects.

From 8 faculties when he took over four years ago, FUOYE which is now in affiliation with over 15 international insti­tutions, currently has about 15 faculties of­fering a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Only recently, FUOYE secured the approval of Nation­al Universities Commission (NUC) for 22 new academic programmes. In the last four years, the Fasina-led administration in FUOYE had secured not less than 60 accreditations for different programmes offered in the university.

In the area of sports, FUOYE has equally made its mark under Fasina. For instance, in 2024, the university clinched overall third place at the South West Ath­letics Competition organised in Ibadan. FUOYE football team was likewise said to have secured silver medals at the Ekiti State Football League.

At the 2024 Federation of Africa Uni­versity Sports (FASU), FUOYE athletes reportedly stole the show by winning Gold in the Male 100m race, and Silver in the 200m race female category. In the 73-weight category of Taekwondo, FUOYE athletes emerged victorious, grabbing a Gold Medal. In the Judo com­petition, FUOYE won Silver. FUOYE football team was said to have secured a remarkable victory by ranking 1st in Ekiti State, 2nd in Nigeria, and 3rd in Africa.

Professor Fasina has received wide­spread commendation for his monumen­tal achievements as FOUYE boss. Last year September, he got a parliamentary applause for his remarkable performance as FUOYE steward when the House Com­mittee on University Education visited the institution in exercise of its oversight function. Amazed by what they saw on ground, the House Committee members led by its Chairman, Hon. Abubakar Hassan Fulata, applauded the VC, main­taining that he is doing wonderfully well while acknowledging his laudable efforts towards the development of the Ivory Tower.

A German researcher, Dr. Ilsemargret Luttmann, was filled with admiration for Prof. Fasina when she visited FUOYE in May 2024, seeing what the VC has achieved within the period he has spent in office. Dr. Luttmann who came from Leuphana University, Germany, averred that the VC deserved cheers for the un­common feats he has recorded through his transformational leadership. In the same vein, when the President of Aca­demic Staff Union (ASUU), Prof. Emman­uel Osodeke, went to FUOYE on a working visit in August 2023, he reportedly hailed the VC for the restoration of peace to the university and the giant strides recorded under his stewardship.

Members of the University Com­munity have continued to sing Fasina’s praises for his unprecedented record of achievements, and for making the welfare of students and staff a major priority. The various bodies of staff and students have separately passed a vote of confidence in the VC’s leadership, declaring their total support for him in his persistent drive to completely change the face of FUOYE.

Said to have been a very responsive and responsible leader, mentor and father to the students, Prof. Fasina has ensured a timely promotion of staff members. Over 2,000 staff members have been promoted including those who were being denied promotions for years. The VC has ensured periodic training and development of staff, creation of an environment devoid of intimidation for all staff to grow and develop themselves.

In all, there is a general consensus that indeed it has been four years of transfor­mational leadership in FUOYE under the quintessential reformer, philanthropist and highly regarded professor of soil sci­ence. The VC, it is believed, has in the last 4 years exhibited the four basic elements (4 I’s) of transformational leadership, which, as espoused by the late Bernard Morris Bass, who was an American pro­fessor and scholar in leadership studies, include: Idealised Influence, Intellectual Stimulation, Inspirational Motivation and Individualised Consideration. The 4 I’s, which enable leaders to inspire, motivate and empower their followers to achieve exceptional results, combine to guarantee performance beyond expecta­tions as can be seen with Prof. Fasina in his headship of FUOYE.

Joseph Andrew wrote from FCT, Abu­ja.

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