The management of the University of Lagos thursday in Abuja commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the approval of a licence for a television station, UNILAG TV, for the enhancement of research-oriented education and ease of communication within and outside the university campus.
In a meeting with the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, and the Senior Special Assistant, Garba Shehu, at the Presidential Villa, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, said the television station would completely alter the communication style in the university, and enhance its visibility across the continent.
A statement by Deputy Director, Information, State House, Mr. Attah Esa, last night, said the vice chancellor, who was accompanied by the Chairman and Head of UNILAG Mass Communication Department, Prof. Ralph Akinfeleye, said the approval of the TV station further confirmed the president’s commitment to promote free press, and unhindered access to information that promotes development.
“It is now on record that the present administration signed the first campus TV licence and we remain deeply grateful to the president.
“The university is a brand. We want the university to be the research hub in Africa, and we are working towards being among the best three in the entire continent,’’ the vice chancellor added.
Apart from the TV station, Ogundipe noted that the Federal Government’s Independent Power Plant to improve electricity was already ongoing, while the NEEDS assessment fund for training of academic staff had already been received.
In his remark, Akinfeleye said it took the university 25 years to get the first campus radio station licence, but the TV station licence was processed in three years.
“It is interesting that President Buhari signed the first TV station licence for a university. We will use the TV station for pedagogical purity of education,’’ he said.
Adesina, who congratulated the vice chancellor on his recent appointment, said President Buhari is fully committed to improving the standard of education in the country, urging the management team to take the university to higher heights.
in his remark, Shehu reiterated that President Buhari would always work towards creating an enabling environment for purposeful and visionary projects.
“It’s a signal of the president’s clear thinking. He will never put an obstacle on the path of progress. If you are ready with a project that will bring good to society, the president will instantly approve and support you to do it,’’ he said.