Encomium
Interestingly, despite completion of their multi billion naira university projects, Dr Daniel Olukoya’s Mountain Top University, Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo’s KICC University and Pastor Kumuyi’s Anchor University have not commenced operation. And this is not unconnected with inability to obtain final approval from Nigeria University Commission, management restructuring and financial issues.
ENCOMIUM Weekly’s check revealed that two years after completion of Mountain Top University by amiable clergy and founder of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Dr. Daniel Olukoya, the N2.5 billion project is yet to take off.
Information available to us revealed exclusively that the delay is because the Nigeria University Commission is yet to give the final nod for its take off.
Insiders squealed to ENCOMIUM Weekly that the NUC has inspected the facilities but are yet to give them official clearance to commence operation. We reliably gathered that the issue is giving the fiery clergy a slight headache as all hands have been on deck for the smooth take off of the university.
On Friday, September 5, 2014, we spoke with one of the ministry’s spokesmen and he confirmed the development.
“Yes, it’s true that the university project has been completed but the final clearance from the NUC has been the only hindrance for commencement of the university. We have no issue but just the official clearance from NUC.”
A source squealed to us that the university sits atop 100 acres (an acre comprises of six plots so 100 acres has 600 plots).
Information at our disposal revealed that the project commenced in 2010, inside the Prayer City along Lagos/Ibadan Expressway when the land was acquired and the registration for the project approved by the appropriate government agency.
The hostels and other infrastructure such as laboratories, hospitals and administrative blocks have been completed.
Mountain Top University has elected to adopt the nomenclature College rather than Faculty as practised in contemporary universities abroad as well as the newly established ones in Nigeria. At full capacity, MTU will have at least six (6) undergraduate colleges and a postgraduate school. However, the university will take off with three Colleges consisting of courses that are not capital intensive and yet will make the university unique, innovative and responsive to the needs of the Nigerian society, especially in relation to industry, technology, food production and health. The colleges at take-off (Phase I) would be College of Basic and Applied Sciences, College of Environmental Sciences and College of Management and Social Sciences.
Dr. Olukoya is on record as the first scientist to establish an indigenous Molecular Biology and Biotechnology laboratory in Nigeria. One important contribution by Dr. Olukoya to biotechnology and health care delivery is the creation of a new type of pap (ogi) named Dogik, a weaning food that has improved nutritional qualities that can control diarrhea. The laboratory also ranks among the first to work on genes in Nigeria.
That Dr. Olukoya would become a mighty tool manifested in 1989, when Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries was given birth to in his sitting room at Yaba, with 24 worshippers. MFM has thousands of branches spread across Nigeria, Africa and Asia. A huge percentage of branches are also in the United States and Europe.
Dr. Kolawole Daniel Olukoya’s uncommon gift finds expression as a prophet, evangelist, teacher and preacher of the word of God. In addition to his over 80 scientific publications, he has written more than double that number of spiritual books, 150 of them, most of which are bestsellers. Prayer Rain, a prayer manual which has become a companion of not a few Christians across several denominations, has sold millions of copies. Besides, Dr. Olukoya has 70 Christian songs that he composed. His life and that of his wife, Pastor Shade and their son, Elijah Toluwani, are living proof that all power belongs to God
KICC UNIVERSITY
The Senior Pastor and owner of the largest church in West Europe, Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo of the Kingsway International Christian Church has completed his multi-billion naira KICC University at Ode Omu, Osun state, Nigeria which he began over seven years ago. We reliably gathered that the N2 billion university is ready but the major constraint has been approval from NUC. According to him, “We are yet to get the final approval and license from the body for the past seven years.”
To grant a license of operation, the National Universities Commission of Nigeria requires at least 250 acres of land to be provided for a university campus but KICC University sits on over 50 acres. Aside that, we learnt the various financial crises rocking the ministry over the years also affected the smooth takeoff of the institution.
We learnt that the institution is structured around six faculties and 22 mainstream departments. The Schools of Medical Science and Pharmacy in the College of Medical Sciences as well as the Faculty of Law are to run faculty/school-based degree programmes.
However, the Initial academic activities would commence in two schools namely: Humanities, Management & Social Sciences, and Information Science and Technology. Courses to be developed by the School of Information Science and Technology will be central to the teaching programmes in all Departments. Summarily it was said that the university has about 59 academic programmes
ANCHOR UNIVERSITY
Pastor William Folorunsho Kumuyi’s vision to have a private university that would be a force to be reckoned with amongst the league of clergy received a boost as he begins work on the proposed ultra modern campus that would serve as the permanent site of his N1 billion Anchor University.
ENCOMIUM Weekly’s check on Sunday, August 31, 2014, revealed that the proposed site for the campus is tucked inside the vast expanse of land acquired by the ministry along Lagos/Ibadan express way. We gathered that the land has already been fenced with the university’s logo conspicuously displayed at the entrance.
According to our findings, the campus would serve as the permanent site of Anchor University whose main campus is inside their multi-billion IBTC headquarters at Ayobo-Ipaja, Lagos.
The project would include faculties, hostels, administrative blocks, chalets, laboratories, amongst others.
Funds for the projects have already been sourced from the ministry’s partner members and the clergy himself. Although the duration of the project is unknown, we gathered the architects and builders are not Nigerians. And that explained why the church’s Anchor University is yet to take off.
Pastor Kumuyi was happy to join the exclusive league of owners of private universities in Nigeria. The commissioning was billed for September 2012, but suffered a huge setback as the representatives of the NUC coming for final inspection and approval of their multi-billion projects were in the ill-fated Dana Air crash.
Professor Celestine Onwuliri, husband of a serving minister and an executive director with the Nigerian Universities Commission was among the over 157 victims that died in the Dana Air crash which occurred on Sunday, June 3, 2012. He was the leader of the team.
William Folorunso Kumuyi (born June 9, 1941) is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria. He is the author of several books. In the early 1970s, Kumuyi worked as a lecturer at the University of Lagos.
Kumuyi was born into a Christian family in Erin-Ijesha, Osun State, Nigeria. He completed his secondary school education in 1961, and in 1962 started teaching Mathematics at Mayflower School in Ikenne, Ogun-State. From where he proceeded to the University of Ibadan and in 1967 graduated with a first class honours degree in Mathematics. He became a born again Christian in April 1964.
Kumuyi remarried in October 2010, in London, about 18 months after the death of his first wife.
In April 2013, Kumuyi was named one of the “500 most powerful people on planet earth” and Deeper Christian Life Ministry named as “World’s largest mega church” by the Foreign Policy magazine.
-FEMI OYEWALE
