WELCOME ADDRESS PRESENTED AT THE OCTOBER 2017 NATIONAL COMISSION FOR COLLEGES OF EDUCATION ACCREDITATION OF ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES OF ECWA COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, IGBAJA

23rd-27th October, 2017
By Provost, Rev Stephen Oluwarotimi Y. Baba, PhD
The Executive Secretary, National Commission for Colleges of Education
The Chairman, Governing Board, Elder S. A. Opaluwah, PhD, FNSE
The Leader of the Accrediting Team Other Distinguished Members of the Accrediting Team, The Management Team, ECWA College of Education, Igbaja
The Registrar
The Deans Heads of Departments,
The District Church Leaders Present The Representative of the Kwara State Ministry of Tertiary Education Faculty, Teaching and Non-Teaching Staff The College Librarian,
The College Counsellor The CAN Chairman
The Principal ECWA Secondary School, Igbaja Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen.
I welcome you all in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the first accreditation/ evaluation of academic programmes of the ECWA College of Education, Igbaja. Let me briefly take us all through memory lane. The first letter requesting for registration of the NCE programme was written on 7th June, 2010. In response to that letter the then Management was directed to forward a letter dated 18th June, 2010 through the Executive Secretary, National Commission for Colleges of Education. On June 30, 2010, the Director of Academic Planning wrote and I quote, "you need the following to establish a private College of Education
1. Payment of One Million (1,000,000:00) non refundable application processing fee in Bank Draft to the National Commission for Colleges of Education, Abuja
2. Submit application for the Establishment of a College of Education
3. Visit the NCCE, Abuja to purchase "Guidelines on Academic Programmes"
4. Study pages 1-7 of the attached document critically."
The then Management provided all of the above, and got a letter from NCCE signed by Dr A.Y. Abdulkareem, who was the Acting Director of Academic Programmes, that a resource- verification visit to the proposed College would be conducted. The proposed Institution wrote to the NCCE requesting for postponement, and it was granted. A Team of three members came, headed by Army Shalangwa (Mrs), others were Mr. Badmus Adeyemi Razaq, and Professor Shehu Jimoh (now late). The report of the resource verification came on May 20th 2013 with various recommendations. The Proposed Institution was directed to implement certain things before inviting NCCE for the re-inspection (the second re-visit) exercise. This is where everything stopped before I came in as Provost and Chief Executive and Chief Accounting Officer of ECWA Theological Seminary, Igbaja.
I assumed office on January 2nd, 2014 as the Chief Executive and Chief Accounting Officer of the proposed ECWA College of Education, Igbaja. We promptly forwarded a letter to NCCE requesting for an inspection of the proposed College of Education, and a three man's team led by Mr. V.I. Uji came on Thursday, 22nd May, 2014. Others members of the team were Alhaji Badmus Adeyemi Razaq, and Dr. A. Y. Abdulkareem. The request of the proprietor was granted under the leadership of the Chairman of ECWA College of Education Governing Board, Elder Samson A. Opaluwah, PhD and the Provost of the College, Rev Stephen Oluwarotimi Baba, PhD. A Provisional approval (license) to run some NCE programmes as "Other NCE Awarding Institutions" was given on the 3rd of June, 2014. With the hand of the almighty God we started with three Schools: School of Education, School of Early Childhood and Primary Education, and School of Junior Secondary Education. On the 10th of November, 2014, we sought approval from the Kwara State Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science and Technology and the College was approved via a memo (See ETSI/REG/ ETSAB/ 97/Vol 1, p. 83). To the glory of God, the ECWA College of Education (ECEI) Igbaja was inaugurated on the 12th of January, 2015 with just one student, Miss Elizabeth Samuel (ETSI/REG/ESTAB/97/Vol 1, p. 101). Not long after, however, the population swelled to fifteen (15). The Management appointed Dr James Tinuoye Oderinde as the pioneer Director of the College and later after his exit Mrs Elizabeth O. Alao took over. An Ad-hoc take off Committee, and HODs were also appointed, and staff employed. The College has been listed on Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) (ETSI/REG/ESTAB/097/VOL 3, p. 58-67) and since then JAMB has been inviting ECEI for the combined policy meeting on Admission into Tertiary Institutions. The first Matriculation Exercise was done on 11th May 2015 with twenty two students (ETSI p. 143). The following people were appointed as Heads the of Departments in the College: Mr. E.O Ajiboye (Dept of Yoruba Language), Dr. Raphael O.Boriowo, PhD (Dept of Education), Mr Olufemi Owoade (Dept of Social Sciences), Mr. Caleb O. Ifabiyi (Primary Education Studies), Mr Olakunle O. Atolagbe (Department of General Studies), Dr. E.A. Ogunyanju (Department of C.R.S.), Chief S.O. Aboyeji (Head of Department English) and Mrs Cecilia O. Baba, M.Ed G& C. (College Counsellor). We have a dynamic Quality Assurance team headed by James O. Adeyanju, PhD. On 28th September, the College Administrator wrote a letter requesting for accreditation of ECEI programmes. Today the college is at the Accreditation level of all its programmes. We are witnesses of history; the NCCE accreditation team is here at ECWA College of Education, Igbaja for accreditation. During the last resource-verification, the Commission noticed certain deficiencies. On behalf of the Board and Management, I want to assure you that adequate measures have been put in place to ensure that all the round pegs are in round holes. Lace Prom Dresses 2020
1. A Brand New Administrative Block with tiled classrooms for our Students and a Seminar Room, culture room, put in place, to make them among the best classrooms in all Private Colleges of Education in Kwara State, and beyond.
2. Chalk black-boards have been replaced with Marker white boards
3. Additional sound buckets and fire extinguishers have been provided.
4. Additional books and journals have been purchased for the Library.
5. Our internet, which is now high speed and wireless, is both in the Academic and Administrative Areas. Students can browse in the college cafe.
6. There is adequate implementation of the Minimum Standard in all our studies.
7. Today we have a brand new office for the Leadership of the Institution, and comfortable office utilities for staff members.
9. We ensure that only adequately qualified teachers are teaching in the College.
10. A dynamic Counseling Unit and professionally trained Counselor are solidly in place.
11. A vehicle has been bought for the College.
12. A brand new Language laboratory and culture rooms have been put in place.
Very significantly, we have confronted headlong and conquered whatever challenges that might have been noticed in the last resource verification exercise. Let me also bring to your notice that the NUC accreditation for our Bachelor Degree programmes was successful, we got 88%. I know that the Commission has, over the years, maintained high standard in accreditation of Colleges of Education in Nigeria. We look up to you for objective assessment and positive report at the end of this exercise.
Sincerely, we appreciate you and wish you happy stay. I also very much appreciate the contributions of my team-the Deputy Provost, Registrar, Dean, the HODs, our lecturers, the workers in the College and the entire student body. I equally appreciate our invited quests. Please let me here, appreciably recall the words of a great philosopher who once said, "The same challenge that causes many to break down, causes some others to break records."
We give all glory and honour to the Lord for not allowing whatever challenges that might have been noticed to break us down.
God bless ECWA College of Education, Igbaja,
God bless National Commission for Colleges of Education,
God bless our Country Nigeria.
Thank you all, and God bless.

Rev. Stephen O. Baba, PhD
Provost, ECWA College of Education, Igbaja