Olusegun Obasanjo

The first in the series of Eminent Persons Business Lecture organised by the University of Ibadan School of Business (UISB) will be delivered by Chief Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo, on July 16 2016 at the institution’s International Conference centre.

The lecture titled “Agribusiness: time to act is now” is organised in collaboration with the Ibadan, Nigeria based International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) , a foremost world’s leading research partner in finding solutions to hunger , malnutrition and poverty. It works with partners, such as UI, to enhance crop quality and productivity, reduce producer and consumer rights and generate wealth from agriculture. Its award winning research for development addresses development needs of Africa.

Eminent personalities expected at the all-important event are Senator Abiola Ajimobi, Executive Governor of Oyo State; Chief Audu Ogheh, Nigeria’s Honourable Minister of Agriculture, Federal Republic of Nigeria; Prof. Abel Idowu Olayinka, Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan; Dr. Nteranya Sanginga, Director General, International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and other stakeholders in agribusiness.

Expected to be the flagship of business education scholarship in Nigeria, nay Africa, UI established its School of Business as a special purpose vehicle for playing a tangible role towards the evolution of Nigeria as an economically prosperous nation. This, it hopes will facilitate the country’s emergence as a politically stable and socially harmonious polity.

UISB has committed itself to the full realization of its underlying objective of accelerated growth and sustainable national economic prosperity focusing on effective and efficient management of societal resources, as defined in the University’s strategic corporate plan “to be a world-class University for academic excellence geared towards meeting societal need”, a major strategic policy and/or institutional platform conducive to the realization is the evolution of a truly private sector driven framework.

This is, expected, to be facilitated through the provision of an informed enabling environment to breed a non-parasitic private sector that is able and willing to deliver the desired economic and its associated societal benefits.

For the pioneer Board Chairman of UISB, an accomplished economist with strong preferment, Prof. Ademola Ariyo, UISB has identified opportunities for creating a niche for itself in the pursuit of its vision and mission, through the deepening of the application of business principles, and practices in the management of the national economy; evolving innovative curriculum and outreach programmes towards more purposeful management of the critical development levers of the economy, such as oil and gas, agriculture, telecommunication and the financial sector, in consonance with the principle of management-by-exception.

He further stated, among others, that UISB will use a truly inclusive growth process through a credible participatory process, anchored on a genuine partnership among the public sector, private sector and the citizenry for the channel of achieving its mission.

According to Prof. Ariyo, the Eminent Persons Business Lecture (EPBL) has been designed in form of series of high profile, special framework towards achieving the above niches. It is to serve as a form for regular harvesting, exchanging, and appraising policy initiatives conducive to the evolution of a private sector-led Nigerian economy, and fostering the desired partnership for the required inclusive growth process.

“The activities of EPBLS will provide very useful inputs into the design of current and target driven curriculum, as well as the various outreach programmes of UISB. By this, the institution will not become another statistic in the legion of run-of-the-mill business education and research institutions”, he said.

The University’s Director of Public Communication, Mr. Tunji Oladejo, in a statement said each EPBL will operate as a non-partisan, purely intellectually stimulating event for realizing its stated objectives.

According to Oladejo, the operating framework will comprise the (i) guest lecture by invited eminent persons and topmost leaders of key societal institutions such as the legislature, executive, judiciary, private sector, academic and research institutions, and public policy institutes. Others include development agencies, and foundations, as well as reputable knowledgeable individuals. Guest lecturers will be sourced nationally and internationally; (ii) the content and substance of each lecture will be subjected to in-depth technical analysis towards extracting informed inputs into, or for initiating appropriate public policies and programmes and (iii) both the presentation and the analysis thereof will be widely disseminated towards generating awareness about and mobilizing support for the realization of the ensuing policy ideas emanating from each presentation.

The Director explained that the analysis will also identify and facilitate proactive role by any and all agencies whose roles are necessary for achieving the policy initiatives emanating from each presentation and there will be periodic publication of presentations in the series to serve as reference sources and reading materials for students and analysts in national and international libraries or other viable outlets.

Prof. Adenike Osofisan, the School’s pioneer Director stressed “all these are expected to ensure high quality lecture presentations and to derive maximum policy relevant ideas and impact therefrom. In addition, these will inform the educational service delivery and outreach programmes of UISB”.

UISB’s EPBLS is expected to be an annual event. However, special sessions may be organized as may be considered desirable from time to time.

It will be recalled that the National Universities Commission recently granted full accreditation for the School’s academic and professional probrammes.