Students of Caleb University at Imota in Ikorodu, near Lagos, are currently doing a research to provide a lasting solution to the nerve-racking traffic in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital.
The Vice-Chancellor of Caleb University, Prof. Daniel Aina, made the disclosure at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum in Lagos on Monday.
Aina said the university took up the research in compliance with the mission statement of the university to focus on environmental issues and commerce.
Lagos cited currently as Africa’s most populous city is notorious for its daily nerve-breaking traffic jams and poor road network.
According to Aina students in Caleb University, are also researching on ways of tackling issues of building collapse, regular occurrence in the city.
“As part of our research efforts in the institution, we are happy to say that there is a lot going on in this regard.
“There are already a lot of prototype projects that have been presented to professional bodies, many of which have won awards.’’
He said that there various challenges, affecting the daily lives of Lagos residents that the university was researching on.
“The university is frantically working on solutions to some of these challenges with a view to improving the standard of living of an average Nigerian.’’
The vice-chancellor said that science students in the institution were also doing research in Community and Public Health (CPH), in a bid to value the health of Lagos residents.
“In this regards, we had collaboration with the Lagos State Government about two years ago, when the government provided some funds to enable the university to conduct research on the CPH.
“Some researchers in the university carried out research around the Ikorodu-Imota area and discovered that there is proximity between pit toilets and boreholes in many areas.’’
The academic explained that such proximity posed serious danger to the source of drinking water in the area, for which solution needed to be proffered.
He said that the researchers came up with some findings that the university had submitted to the State Government.
The don said further that Caleb University had hosted a major international conference recently on issues relating to public health, which attracted scholars from Europe, America and some African countries.
He disclosed that some of the scholars, who attended the conference, did a tour of Lagos State to identify areas they could offer collaboration in public health management.
Aina noted that one of the scholars was particularly worried about a refuse dumping site at the Olusosun area of Ojota on the outskirts of Lagos.
“The Olusosun dump site attracted the scholar’s attention, who urged the university to carry out research on the site.
“He said there were some items that were dumped on the site that looked ordinary but had several negative medical implications.’’
According to the VC, the university is gradually working up to its mission of becoming an architectural hub for undergraduates in Nigeria.
He also spoke on the need to harmonise some course contents in the nation’s institutions of higher learning, especially the universities.
“If you come to Caleb University, you will not need to be told that environment and business studies are key to what we are doing here, apart from reading it on our academic brief.
“So, we are known for environment and business studies and that is why our architecture is flourishing.
“Our business programmes include economics, accounting and finance and that shows our bias.
“But of course, we are also coming up with our signature programmes like law and medicine, which we will run as elite programmes.’’
According to him, universities must be identified with a particular programme and beefed up with other courses.
He said that no university should be allowed to be a generalist institution, adding that in the U.S., a top university such as Harvard is known for business courses, while the MIT is known purely for technology programmes.
“I remember part of the emphasis at a conference we attended in Ethiopia sometime in 2012, which was sponsored by the African Union was how to ensure that universities specialised in specific programmes to be supported with other courses.
“I think the Federal Government is channelling this as it has directed all universities of technology in the country to de-emphasise going into business programmes.
“This move is a welcome development and a step in the right direction,’’ he stated.
Caleb University commenced academic activities with 141 students on Jan. 7, 2008
