In keeping to the promise of creating a unique institution that is committed to the pursuit of academic innovation, skill-based training and a tradition of excellence in Teaching, Research and Community service, UNIOSUN on the 25th of September host the flag off ceremony of the three months intensive YESSO training organized by the World Bank in collaboration with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to confront and combat the alarming problem of unemployment and poverty among youth and vulnerable individuals in the country.

The opening/flag off ceremony which took place at the Olagunsoye Oyinlola auditorium of the Osun State University had in attendance, the Governor of the State of Osun and the visitor to the University, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola who was represented by Professor Olalekan Yinusa, a commissioner designate and the supervisor for youth and empowerment; the vice chancellor of the university, Professor Labode Popoola, represented by Professor Akinola and other dignitaries from all works of life.

The training programme which is scheduled to run in three phases: Life skills training, focus skill training and entrepreneurship training had over five hundred youths in attendance and they were all orientated and set to be empowered through the training.
It will be recalled that the management of the university is already set to empower the Alumni of the university who has a bankable proposal with a tangible amount of fund that he/she can use in starting a business.

Osun State University’s college of health sciences on Thursday August 8, 2019 held the 2019 annual college lecture with the theme “Collaborative research; a tool in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals in resource constrained settings” at the Olagunsoye Oyinlola Auditorium to examine how academic staff can engage in collaborative research as a meaningful tool in the pursuit of the attainment of the SDGs.

The lecture which was delivered by Professor Ebenezer O Farombi, a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Toxicology, based at the University of Ibadan had in attendance all the principal officers of the university, provosts, professors, lecturers and students of the university.
A brief charge was given by the Chairman, Planning Committee, Dr A.G. Omisore followed by a welcome address by the Provost. Dr. O. Omobuwa who also read the impressive citation of the guest lecturer. A peep into the citation showed that back in 2005, he was cited and listed among top ten productive researchers in University of Ibadan who contributed research articles within a ten year frame and ten years later, following the inaugural February 2015 Webometric Ranking of Nigerian scientists, he was Top-rated (Ranked Number 1 Nigerian Scientist) according to google scholar citations with nearly ten thousand citations. Indeed, four of his former postgraduate students are now full Professors in various Universities in the country. The lecture proper was instructive and clearly delivered with an unusual level of expertise.

The Guest Lecturer stated that a major challenge with African researchers is that researchers get into international collaborations as subordinates and they remain in that same position instead of moving up on the rungs of the ladder by making impactful and undeniable contributions. He stressed further that “Research collaboration” is key to meeting SDGs and emphasized the role of Universities. He particularly focused on how African universities can contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through capacity building, collaboration, and engagement with government and industry. He further opined that Africa lacks university-based research which is critical in achieving sustainable development and delivering on the SDGs. Thereafter he posited that Research collaboration is key to meeting SDGs-role of Universities and that Universities in general and UNIOSUN in particular should explore collaborative research at all levels. He challenged African universities to go beyond being undergraduate training institutions as this is a myopic/ self-limiting dream that will take us nowhere.

Furthermore he stated that real research, especially applied research is not part of their programmes and that the research output in Africa is abysmal with African research accounting for only 1% of global output, with most of it coming out of South Africa where it was concentrated in certain universities. Funding of research was another problem with the proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) going towards research in nine African countries averaging 0.5%.

He concluded that Universities could help to contribute to achieving the SDGs through capacity building, collaboration, and greater engagement with government and industry.
“To attain the SDGs-Role of Universities, Universities must be Research informed, Research based, Research active, Research led and driven, and Research intensive” Farombi added.

In closing, the Dipo Fasina prize for the overall graduating student (2017/2018 session) was won by Miss Yetunde Akinlaja of Physiology Department (CGPA 4.81) and the award was presented by the representative of the Vice Chancellor, Professor Anthony Kola-Olusanya.

The Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo on Saturday, 21st September, lauds the management of Osun State University for maintaining high academic standards despite the lean resources available.
The Vice President made the remark while delivering the 8th convocation lecture titled “Six decades of Chequered Nationhood: Nigeria still holds the key to Africa’s development”.

“Your resilience and productivity is a challenge to all tertiary institutions in the country. I hereby congratulate the graduands, the graduating class of 2019, Also the parents, guardians, friends and family of the graduands, I say congratulations and I pray that the joy you have today in the success of these graduands will multiply as they succeed in the coming years.”
The executive Governor of the state of Osun and a Visitor to the University, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola implored the graduating students to be good ambassadors of the university and the nation, urging them to use their acquired knowledge to transform Nigeria.

Also speaking, the Pro-chancellor and chairman, governing council of Osun State University, Osogbo, Mallam Yusuf Ali said the university would continue to develop graduands that would evolve ideas and initiatives that would reposition the country for economic development.
Mallam Yusuf called on government to continue to support the university in the areas of research and innovation to position the University for International rating.
Prof. Labode Popoola, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, said 49 students made first class, 670 made second class upper, 892 students made second class lower, 194 had third class while nine (9) finished with pass degree.

Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Mr. Wale Babalakin and Mrs. Nike Okundaye were conferred with honorary doctorate degrees of the university.

The Ag. Provost of the College of Education, Ipetu-Ijesha campus of Osun State University, Prof. Ayobami Hammed was recently conferred with a Fellowship of the Counselling Association of Nigeria (CASSON). The award was received at the 44th Annual International Conference of the Association which held at the Abuja Campus of the University of Port-Harcourt, Port-Harcourt on the 20th of August 2019.
A hearty congratulations to Prof. Ayobami Hammed from the Management, Staff and Students of Osun State University and equally felicitate with the Ipetu-Ijesha family on the laudable recognition. Wishing Prof. Hammed more rewarding achievements ahead.