The Ogbomoso Academics, How It All Began

In the year 2019, a group of Academic Staff of Nigeria's Tertiary Institutions, and of Ogbomoso extraction, assembled in Ogbomoso town, to discuss the plight of tertiary education in Nigeria as it affects Ogbomoso indigenes worldwide.

We are aware of the difficulties some of our brilliant and promising young secondary school students go through, particularly here in Nigeria, whenever they seek admissions into other Nigerian public institutions, as a result of several governmental policies, such as catchment area, state of origin etc, enunciated as criteria for admissions into such institutions. Truly, Ladoke Akintola University is located within our metropolis, but it cannot duly accommodate all our aspiring students, even in the midst of the epileptic operations of that jointly-owned only tertiary institution in our town.

Needless to say, the incessant closure of that University not only adversely impacts the citizenry but also causes debilitating socio-economic hardships in our town. Suffice it to state that there are overwhelming gains of having a functional university located in a city and the benefits accompanying such in terms of commerce, enlightenment, job security as well as small- and large-scale industrial startups! Examples of such university-impacted cities abound worldwide, and the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State University, Oshogbo, Bowen University, Iwo, Ogun State University, Ago-Iwoye, and Ahmadu Bello University, Samaru-Zaria, among others, are glaring examples, in the case of Nigeria.

Interestingly, Ile-Ife, Osogbo, Iwo, Ago-Iwoye, Samaru, were practically small cities, and would probably have remained so, but for the universities located in those towns. In spite of these examples, the sheer population of Ogbomoso, and its surrounding developing towns, no doubt calls for deep reflection. If Oyo town, with its population and landmass that are far below that of Ogbomoso, could have two Private Universities (Ajayi Crowther and Atiba Universities) within its enclave, what prevents Ogbomoso with its population, landmass, resources and peoples scattered worldwide, that far supersede Oyo in size and number, from running its own community-based university?

The above issues were discussed at length, by our members at several meetings called for this purpose on a one-to-one, virtual on WhatsApp platform, as well as very recently on zoom.

Membership from academia, university administrators such as Registry, Bursary, technical, retired personnel and serving in Nigeria's tertiary institutions at home and abroad, were involved in this worldwide discussion which gave birth to The Ogbomoso Academics, as we come together towards same goal and objectives to foster educational development in Ogbomoso, through planning, planting, and organization of educational institutions in Ogbomoso land and beyond.