Islamic Movements as Providers of Tertiary Education: Fountain University in Focus

Cite this article: Adekunle, A. M. (2022). “Islamic Movements as Providers of Tertiary Education: Fountain University in Focus”. in Sokoto Journal of History Vol. 11. Pp. 241-250.

ISLAMIC MOVEMENTS AS PROVIDERS OF TERTIARY
EDUCATION: FOUNTAIN UNIVERSITY IN FOCUS.

ANIMASHAUN Mojeed Adekunle
Department
of Political Science & Public Administration
Fountain University, Osogbo, Nigeria.
Email: adekunleanimashaun39@gmail.com

 Abstract

Social movements are generally acknowledged as agents of social change or social reformers. Their broad diversities underscore the varieties of their interventions. This paper examines the Nasrul- Lahi-L-Fatih Society (NASFAT) as a social movement in the enterprise of knowledge production. Adopting qualitative research method, the paper interrogates the trajectory of Fountain University as a provider of tertiary education. The paper also examines the challenges of the growing University as well as its future prospects.

Keywords: History, Sources, Methodology, Historical inquiry

DOI: 10.36349/sokotojh.2022.v11i01.011

Introduction

Social
movements constitute a core component of civil society in modern post-industrial
societies exhibiting peculiar but
sometimes overlapping characteristics and assuming diverse socio-economic and political roles¹ Haferkamp
and Smelser² have classified social movements into ‗old‘ and ‗new‘ categories suggesting that the former are
more or less a class-based phenomenon symbolizing intra- elite competition for hegemony. On the other hand, the new
social movements are credited with great
potential to moderate the future of post-industrial societies. Islamic
movements belong to the latter
category.

In Nigeria,
provision of educational services by Muslim organizations dates back to the
colonial period. Against the backdrop
of the disadvantaged status of Muslims in formal education; and the refusal
of most Muslims
to frequent Christian
schools, Muslim communities and organizations began to establish their own schools
producing knowledge in both western and Islamic education³. These educational institutions and other
social welfare services provided by these organizations including health care and financial
aid represent an intentional effort by a disadvantaged social
group to improve
the well-being of its membership⁴. NASFAT‘s
establishment of Fountain
University, Osogbo, therefore represents the modern
manifestation of the colonial era effort by

1           
Kayhan Delibas, Conceptualizing Islamic Movements: The Case of Turkey. International Political Science Review. 30, 1
(2009): 89-103.

2           
Hans Haferkamp and Neil Smelser,
Social Change and Modernity. Beverly: University
of California Press.

3           
Melina Izama, Muslim
Education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Paper presented for the 2013 Association for Analytic Learning about
Islam and Muslim
Societies (AALIMS) Graduate Student
Workshop. April 5, 2013.

4           
Asef Bayat, Social Movements,
Activism and Social Development in the Middle East. United Nations Research Institute for Social Development. Civil
Society and Social Movements Programme. Paper Number 3. November 2000.

Muslims.
Indeed, literature has shown that the last three decades have witnessed
proliferation of Muslim institutions of higher learning (MIHLs) across continental Africa⁵

The
circumstances of the birth of Fountain University, Osogbo, aptly fit into the
words of Anthony Jay Robins, renowned American author, entrepreneur and philanthropist
that ―the only impossible
journey is the one you never begin…‖   Fountain
University is the eighteenth privately-owned
tertiary institution to be licensed as a university education provider
in Nigeria. If the leaders of the Nasrul-Lahi-L-Fatih Society
(NASFAT) who mooted the idea of a university project
were ambivalent about the
prospect of such venture, the success story the 13 year old institution has turned out to be will certainly gladden
the hearts of the rank and file of NASFAT‘s membership. In spite of the very inclement context of
operation, the University is soldiering on with remarkable achievements etching NASFAT on the global
map of knowledge provision industry.

Fountain University:
The Birth, the Beginning

NASFAT has
been described as an institutional response, otherwise called ‗charismatic
Islam‘⁶, to the challenge of growing Pentecostal
Christianity. This strategic reaction is better appreciated within the context of the concern of the
Muslims in the South Western parts of the Nigerian federation for the survival of their religious praxis in the face of acknowledged Christian dominance in the religious, political and educational spheres
before the end of colonial rule⁷.

Whereas NASFAT primarily aims at ―the spiritual development of Muslims‖⁸, it is also involved in other ―proto-secular‖ and ―soul-winning strategies‖⁹ of modern religious organizations in Nigeria. It
is against the backdrop of these secondary
engagements that NASFAT ventured into the provision
of educational services
which led to the establishment of educational institutions by the organization.¹⁰ Fountain
University, Osogbo is a product of this venture. At the level of purely commercial venture, NASFAT‘s business
activities which include banking, beverages, tours and travels have been so distinctively managed as to give the organization the character of an ―Islamic social movement‖¹¹

The University was envisioned to compete favourably with its counterpart private universities owned
by Christian Missionary groups such as the Covenant
University, Ota, Ogun State and

5           
Mbaye LO and Muhammed Haron (eds.), Muslim
Institutions of Higher Education in Nigeria (pp 2), Palgrave Macmillan.

6           
E. Obadare, The Muslim Response
to the Pentecostal Surge in Nigeria: Prayer
and the Rise of Charismatic Islam. Journal of Religious and Political Practice. 2, 1 (2016): 75-91.

7           
Sanni, A.O., Conversion and Reversion in the Power Accession Narrative: Muslim
Prayer Groups in Nigeria. Journal
of Oriental and African Studies. 21 (2012): 157-166.

8           
See NASFAT Prayer
Book Revised Edition

9           
Obadare, 2016, op cit

10       
ibid

11       
Benjamin Soares, ‗An Islamic Social Movement in Contemporary West Africa: NASFAT‖
In Stephen Ellis and Ineke
van Kessel (eds.), Movers
and Shakers. Social Movements in West Africa(178-196).
Leiden, 1991.

Redeemers
University, Ede, Osun State¹² established by the Living Faith Church
World Wide and the Redeemed Christian Church of God respectfully¹³.

Fountain University with ‗Faith, Knowledge
and Service‘ as its Motto commenced academic
activities on 14 January 2008 ¹⁴ with 200 students in the two foundation
Colleges namely, College
of Management and Social Sciences (Accounting, Banking and Finance,
Business Administration, Economics, Political
Science & Public Administration, and Sociology and Industrial Relations) and College of Natural and Applied Sciences
(Bio Chemistry and Nutrition, Industrial and Environmental
Chemistry, Micro Biology, Mathematics and Computer Science, and Physics with Electronics).

From the
modest beginning in 2008, FUO has witnessed a progressive growth in student
enrolment, academic programmes and
physical growth. The University held its 13^th Matriculation ceremony
on 23 January 2020 with 340 students
taking Matriculation Oath while the 9^th Convocation ceremony of the
University held on 14 January 2020 with a total of 307 students graduating
across the now expanded academic
programmes in the University. The growth of the University in the areas of physical development, academic
programmes and student enrolment will be examined
in later section of this paper.

The practical
processes that eventually led to the birth of FUO could be traced to a
Strategic Retreat of NASFAT held at
Akodo, Lagos in the year 2000. Participants at the Retreat noted the non- availability at that material time of a
tertiary academic institution that combined both Islamic moral teachings and secular (western) knowledge
that was capable of checkmating the rising involvement of students in public sector universities in anti-social behaviours such as cultism,
drug abuse/peddling and armed robbery.¹⁵

The University
set out with a vision of producing ―competitive and resourceful graduates with
high moral standards irrespective
of race, tribe, religion or political inclinations‖¹⁶ while its
mission is to be  ―a  pace-setting
 institution
 in
 terms
 of
 learning,  character-building
 and
 service  to  humanity‖.¹⁷
While NASFAT, the Proprietor of FUO has the propagation of ―the beauty of Islam in words and deeds‖,¹⁸ as one of its
major shared values, Fountain University does not impose this religious doctrine
on its staff and students. The University not only has Christians as members of teaching and non-teaching staff¹⁹, the
University management allows students of the Christian faith to attend church service on Sunday outside
the University campus.
Fountain University derives
its name

12       
Redeemer‘s University started
out in 2005 at its temporary site located at Mowe, Ogun State. The University relocated to its permanent site at Ede, Osun
State in September 2014.

13       
L.M. Adetona, NASFAT:
A Modern Prayer Group and its Contributions to the Propagation of Islam in Lagos.
World Journal of Islamic History and Civilization. 2,2 (2012): 102-107.

14     January 14 has since become
the Founder‘s and Convocation Day of Fountain
University

15       
See Abdulwahab Abdulrahman, ―Conception
and Birth of Fountain University‖ In Nimbe Adedipe (ed.),
NASFAT: Fountain
University. Dream Come True, 1994-2015 (36-38). Ibadan: Ibadan University Printery, 2015.

16       
See www.fuo.edu.ng/mission. Accessed 4 February
2020

17       
ibid

18       
See NASFAT Prayer Book op cit

19       
The Dean of the College
of Management & Social
Sciences is a Christian while
a number of administrative staff are also Christians.

from  Chapter  55  verses  66  and  67
 of  the  Holy  Quran,
 to
 wit:
 ―Therein
 also  will
 be
 two
 springs gushing forth with water; which then, of the favours of your Lord will you deny?‖²⁰

The first
major practical task in the processes that led to the emergence of Fountain
University was the Academic
Brief Summit chaired
by Professor Nurudeen
Nimbe Adedipe, foundation Vice Chancellor of
Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta who was to become the pioneer Pro Chancellor of the University.²¹ This Summit which was held between 4 – 9
January 2004 at the Centre for
Management and Development, Ikeja, Lagos had in attendance 30 Muslim academics drawn from selected tertiary institutions
across the country.²² Participants at the Summit were taken through the justification for the
establishment of Fountain University. They were also informed that NASFAT had secured over 250 hectares of
land in Osogbo, capital city of Osun state, for siting the University.

At the end of
the Summit, an 18 member Planning and Implementation Committee was constituted with Professor Adedipe as Chairman. The
PIC drew its membership mainly from the academia and NASFAT.²³ Following series of deliberations by PIC, Fountain
University Implementation Strategic/Actualization Committee
(FUISCOM) was instituted. FUISCOM took on the responsibilities of midwifing the formal
take-off of the University, the appointment of Chancellor as well as the appointment of principal officers
leading to the commencement of full academic
activities in January 2008.²⁴

The National
Universities Commission (NUC) granted FUO full operational license in July 2015 having met the prescribed standards by the
oversight commission. This came 8 years after FUo received provisional
license from NUC precisely on May 7, 2007.

Organizational
Structure of FUO

The
organizational structure of Fountain University is composed of six key organs
namely, the Board of Trustees, the Chancellor, Governing
Council, University Senate,
Congregation and Principal
Officers.

Board of Trustees

The Board of
Trustees (BOT) which is provided for by Part 1 Section 5 of Fountain University
Law is charged with the
responsibility of policy formulation and institutional direction for the
University. The BOT comprises of
Chairman who is appointed by the Joint Consultative Group of NASFAT made up of the Board of Trustees,
National Executive Council
and Council of Elders. Other members
of BOT are three nominees of the Proprietor, three external members appointed
by the Proprietor, Pro-Chancellor of
the University and one member representing the host community. The first Board of Trustees of the
University was inaugurated in 2008 while the current BOT headed by Alhaji
Abdulwaheed Adeyinka Adeola is
the third BOT in the life of the University.

 

20       
See Fountain University Student Handbook. Page 2.

21       
Professor Adedipe served the
University as Pro Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council
for two terms
ending the second term in 2015.

22       
For a full list of participants at the Summit, see Nimbe Adedipe (ed.) op cit

23       
ibid.

24       
ibid

 

Chancellor

The Chancellor
sits atop the pyramidal power structure of the University and presides over all Convocation ceremonies for the purposes of
conferring degrees and awards of the University. The current Pro-Chancellor is Alhaji (Dr.) Umaru Abdul Mutallab,
CON. His investiture took place as part
of the 9^th Convocation ceremony of the University held on 14th
January, 2020. Alhaji Mutallab is
bringing into FUO‘s Chancellorship his vast knowledge, experience and social
capital acquired over a five-decade
career in both public and private sectors spanning public service, industry and corporate business.

University Governing Council

The Governing
Council is the organ of the University responsible for implementation of
policies as formulated by BOT. It
comprises of Pro Chancellor as chairman, Vice Chancellor, Deputy Vice Chancellor, four nominees of Proprietor,
four members of the University Senate, three external members, two representatives of University Congregation, one representative of Alumni Association, one representative of the
National Universities Commission, one representative of (Osun) State Ministry of Education, one representative of the
host community, University Registrar (who
serves as Secretary to Council) and University Bursar (in attendance). The
current Council is the third since the inception of the
University.

University Senate

The University
Senate is responsible for the implementation of academic programmes as well as taking decisions on students‘ disciplinary
cases.²⁵ It consists of the Vice Chancellor as Chairman, Deputy Vice Chancellor, University
Librarian, Deans of Colleges, Directors of academic institutes, Heads of departments, three
representatives of colleges, four academic staff representing University Congregation and the University Registrar who is the Secretary of Senate.

University Congregation

The University Congregation consists of the Vice Chancellor as chairman, the Deputy Vice Chancellor,
Registrar, Bursar, Librarian, all full-time members of academic and
non-teaching staff with university
degrees. The University Congregation meets periodically to discuss matters
relating to the University and is
represented on the University and the Governing
Council.

Principal Officers

The daily
operations of the University are within the purview of the principal officers.
They are tasked  with
 the
 duty
 of
 ―providing  efficient  administrative
 process
 and
 policy
 direction
 for
 the
realization of the University‘s set goals and objectives‖.²⁶   Like the BOT and Governing Council, the current principal officers are the third set of top administrators to pilot the affairs of the University. The current principal
officers of FUO are Vice Chancellor, Professor Amidu Olalekan Sanni, Registrar, Dr. Kikelomo Sallee,
Bursar, Mrs Silifat Alli-Balogun, and Acting University Librarian, Dr.
Abdulsalam Salman.

25       
See Fountain University Hand Book. Page 11

26       
ibid

FUO: Life
after One Decade

By 2018,
Fountain University had seen one decade of operational existence. This period
has seen a remarkable transformation
in the life of the University which spans various areas of the University‘s existence. For instance, from the modest
student population of 200 at inception, the University now has an estimated
1,488 students. Also, from the initial 11 programmes when the University commenced academic activities in 2008, three new degree
programmes were introduced at the beginning
of the 2019/2020 academic session. These are Medical Laboratory Science, Nursing
and Public Health and Environmental
Sciences all of which are housed in the newly created College of Basic Medical and Health Sciences. At the beginning of the current
2020/2021 academic session,
the University admitted students into its newly introduced Law programme
domiciled in the newly established
College of Law. The University now
runs Master degree programmes in BioChemistry
and Nutrition, Chemistry, Micro Biology, Sociology
and a professional Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme.. The
University also runs postgraduate diploma programmes in Management, Micro Biology,
BioChemistry and Nutrition
and Chemistry. In addition, FUO currently
runs diploma programme in Arabic, Islamic and International Studies while it
also runs Joint Universities
Preliminary Examinations Board programme through which successful candidates gain admission into 200 Level in
Nigerian universities. Recently, the University proposed 38 new programmes to the National
Universities Commission for approval in accordance with the University Law (2007), as amended.

Fountain
University has recorded 2 successful full accreditation status for all its
programmes in the two pioneer
colleges; it has witnessed 13 Matriculation ceremonies and 9 convocation
ceremonies. In the year 2020, the University was ranked 126^th nationally and 14,010^th globally.²⁷

Achievements Amidst Constraints

While an
exhaustive analysis of the numerous achievements of Fountain University in the
last 12 years is beyond the scope of
this paper, an attempt is made to document some of these achievements using
the following indicators.

(i)     Image-projecting Activities: Fountain University has appropriated two major
instruments for its image-building/deepening efforts. These are Public Lectures and
Community services.

At inception, the University instituted a Guest Lecture
Series aimed at engaging issues of critical importance to the Nigerian
society. Academics, professionals, government functionaries and technocrats have featured in this
Guest Lecture series speaking on diverse areas of our national existence. The first speaker in the Lecture series in
the early years of the University was Professor
Bayo Lawal who spoke on the theme ―Cultivating the Culture of Reading in Nigeria (February 2008). This was followed by nine other lectures delivered
by distinguished personalities from diverse callings.

In more
recent times, the University has hosted other distinguished personalities in
this Guest Lecture Series and
Convocation Lectures. Since the
maiden Convocation Lecture of FUO delivered
by former Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu in September 2011 with a paper  titled  ―Leadership
 and
 Governance:  Emerging  Issues  for  Genuine  Transformation  of
Nigeria‖, the University has witnessed six Convocation Lectures including the
last one delivered on 14 January, 2020 by Professor
Jacob Kehinde Oluponna,
Professor of African
and African

27       
See www.edurank.org/. Accessed 8 February,
2020.

 

American
Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University was in the
house to speak  on  the  topic:
 ―Shifting
 the
 Tide:  The  Promises
 and
 Challenges
 of
 Higher
 Education
 in
Nigeria‖.

In June 2018,
the University hosted Professor Karin Barber, Emeritus Professor of African Cultural Anthropology, University of
Birmingham, United Kingdom. She spoke on the topic: African Cultures and Creative Innovations: Some Reflections on Yoruba Oral Poetry and Travelling
Theatre in Osun State‖. The event marked the first Distinguished Lecture to be delivered
under Professor Amidu Sanni‘s vice chancellorship.

At the level
of community service, in 2016, the Research Group of the University led by Dr. Nusrah Afolabi-Balogun of Chemical Sciences
Department embarked on community enlightenment programme involving the distribution of insecticide-treated nets to the host community and its environs.

(ii)   Staff Development: Fountain University runs a staff development policy that provides
assistance for academic staff on
postgraduate programmes on the one hand; and sponsors academic staff to attend local and foreign academic
conferences on the other hand. Several academic staff of the University have benefited and are still benefiting from this human resource development policy.²⁸

Community Intervention: Fountain
University has recorded a phenomenal growth in physical and facility development since inception. The
University now boasts of a 2,000 seater ultra-modern Masjid donated by Dr. AWA Ibrahim. This edifying Mosque was
commissioned on Thursday 13 February
2020 by the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammadu Sa‘ad Abubakar. Alhaji
F.K. Lawal donated a Student Hostel
facility to the University while Alhaja Tamrat Oreagba donated two blocks of classroom for Arabic and
Islamic Studies. A Lecture Hall donated by Alhaji Ganiyu Adekunle, the Aare Musulumi of Osogboland in remembrance of his
late father, Alhaji Yunus Adekunle is nearing completion. In addition to these, a University Guest House donated
by Dr. Wale Babalakin, the Chief Executive
Officer of Bi-Courtney Services Limited is nearing completion while the Foundation Laying
ceremony of the Jubrila Ayinla Student Hostel (Male) was performed by the Chancellor, Dr. Mutallab during the 9^th
Convocation ceremony of the University. The
University Staff Quarters currently occupied by some staff of the University
was donated by Judge (Prince) Jabbar Bola Ajibola, Proprietor
of Crescent University, Abeokuta.

Furthermore, a
male hostel facility donated by Alhaji M.K. Lawal in remembrance of his mother has been
completed and was among projects
commissioned by the Chancellor during the last Convocation ceremony. The facility is named
Alhaja Awawu Ajike Tiamiyu Lawal-Onipede Hostel.

All the
afore-mentioned structures add to the existing ones in the University. These
include the refurbished Senate/Administrative Building
donated by late Alhaji S.O. Babalola, the Amina Namadi Sambo Hall donated by wife of
former Vice President, Hajiya Amina Namadi Sambo, the Information and Communication Building donated by the National
Deposit Insurance Corporation, the
Student Social Centre donated by former Head of State, General Ibrahim
Babangida which is under
construction, the Yusuf Alli Luxury Hostel as well as the Parent Forum Building
donated by the University Parent
Association.

28       
The author benefited from this policy in December
2019 when he was sponsored
by the University to an International Conference on Elections and
Electoral Violence in Africa.

 

 

(iii)       Library Development: The University Library has remained one of the key selling points of Fountain
University with its housing of relevant and current academic
resources in all programmes
being run in the University. Aside the efforts of the University management in committing huge resources to its growth,
the University Library has also at various times benefited from academic resource donors including the United
Kingdom-based Books2Africa which
donated about 3,000 volumes of books to the University early last year. The
latest of these book donations is the
one given by a United States-based
Centre which was facilitated by Professor Toyin Falola.

(iv)       Other Achievements: The University is on the verge of being incorporated into Institute
of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria‘s
Mutual Cooperation Agreement with Tertiary Institutions (MCATI) even as many students
of the University have been inducted on Accounting Technician Scheme of ICAN. Some students
of the University have become Chartered Accountants after passing relevant
professional qualifying examinations before they graduate from the University. Two pioneer students
of the University recently completed
PhD programmes in Biochemistry
(University of Ilorin, Nigeria) and in Electrical Engineering and Computer
Science (Howard University, United States).

The University will be hosting
its first International Conference in October
2020 on the theme:

―Science,
 Humanity 
and  Technology‖.
 An
 alumna  of  the  University,  Miss
 Aminat
 Fajingbesi,
currently an academic staff in the University, was in India as a Fellow of the India Research Training
Fellowship. Three undergraduate students of the University‘s Department of Mass Communication won the ‗Best School‘
category award at the 2019 Creativity Week Challenge organized by the Future Creative Leaders Academy in Lagos. The
University in spite of its resource constraints
has been paying emoluments of staff regularly and remitting staff pensions to their various
Pension Funds Administrators (PFAs), a feat commended by officials of the National
Pension Commission (PENCOM) during a sensitization workshop organized by
the University management on the administration and benefits of the Contributory Pension Scheme.

Times Higher
Education (THE), formerly Times Higher Education Supplement (THES), a London- based data bank on tertiary education,
recently appointed the Vice Chancellor, Professor Amidu Olalekan Sanni, as one of its assessors
in the ranking of global
universities. Fountain University now has a full-fledged Public Relations Unit in the Office of
the Vice Chancellor. The Unit is headed
by the University Public Relations Officer. This is a remarkable achievement as
public relations activities of the
University at inception were run by the pioneer Registrar.²⁹ As part
of its commitment to the promotion of academic research
as well as serving as a credible
outlet of research findings, the University
publishes two academic journals domiciled in the two foundation colleges
of the University. College of Management and Social Sciences
of the University publishes a bi-annual journal named Journal of
Management and Social Sciences (JMSS) ³⁰ while College of Natural
and Applied Sciences
publishes Fountain Journal
of Natural and Applied Sciences
(FUJNAS).

Fountain University and International Islamic
University of Malaysia
(IIUM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Inter-University Exchange
Programme which saw 7 students
of

29       
See Bola Adekola.
Pioneering Administrative Mainstreaming Thrusts. In Nimbe Adedipe (ed.),
op cit.

30       
The author has been the Editor of JMSS since September 2016.

 

Fountain
University travel to Malaysia to complete their final year in B.Sc Computer
Science. Fountain University has a
thriving scholarship scheme which is primarily aimed at boosting student enrolment in the University³¹.
There are two categories of scholarship scheme at FUO. The first is targeted at indigent students whose
parents can not afford the tuition fees charged by the University. There are clearly spelt out eligibility criteria that must be satisfied by prospective
beneficiaries of the scheme. The
second is aimed at rewarding exceptionally brilliant students who have attained certain Cumulative Grade Point Average
(CGPA) every academic session. Several students of FUO have benefited and are still benefiting from this category of
scholarship scheme. In an effort to enhance the degrees of the University with skill acquisition, the University authorities have completed arrangement to enroll FUO students for attachment and internship training
at the Industrial Development
Centre and Government Technical
College both based in Osogbo.

Operational Challenges

It is
incontestable that FUO has not attained its full potentials nor has it
substantially met the aspirations of its founders.
This reality however
is not a consequence of lack of efforts or commitment
on the part of successive administrations in the University. Rather, there are
certain debilitating challenges confronting the University. Some of these constraints are examined here.

Among the
potent challenges of the University are low funding, low student enrolment,
limited office space and furniture as well as shortage of staff, teaching and non-teaching.

In terms of
institutional funding, FUO has not been able to meet its projections. Sources
of funding listed in the Academic
Brief of the University include annual subvention of N100 million from Proprietor, sale of University forms,
Contractor Registration, hire of University property, business consultancy, donations and endowments.³²
While information on the volume of resources that have been committed to FUO annually by the Proprietor was not readily
available at the time of writing this
paper, it is evident that not all the sources of financing listed in the
Academic Brief have substantially
impacted on the sustenance and growth of the University. Indeed, tuition fees
paid by students have remained the most important, if not reliable,
source of funding
the University. Yet fees
charged by FUO are strongly mediated by tension generated by the desire of
NASFAT to make FUO affordable to the
generality of its members. It is worthy of note that tuition fees charged by FUO are among the lowest in the South West
of Nigeria. There is no denying the fact that low funding would impact on the capacity of the University to engage
quality and adequate staffing, acquire state of the art facilities and sound infrastructure.

The University is also seriously
challenged by low student enrolment. Whereas the National
Universities Commission (NUC) projected 500 student intake for the
University at inception, FUO has not
been able to meet this projection in its 13 years of existence.³³ To
the extent that the University relies
heavily on tuition fees, low student enrolment will adversely impact on the
growth and development of the
University. It is however worthy of mentioning that with the introduction of new academic programmes during the 2019/2020 academic session, student
enrolment has

 

31       
See Niyi Yusuf, Introduction and Impact of the Schorlarship Scheme. In Nimbe Adedipe (ed.), op cit

32       
See Tunde Seriki
and Pekun Alausa.
Challenges and Achievements of the Governing
Council. In Nimbe Adedipe (ed.). op cit

33       
ibid

significantly improved with Law and Nursing accounting for the bulk of the new student enrollees. The current student population of the University stands at 1,500 students

Prospects

The operational challenges confronting Fountain
University are indeed daunting but not insurmountable. Determination of purpose by critical stakeholders in the FUO
project would be needed in
confronting these challenges and transform them into opportunities for
repositioning the promising
University.

Fountain
University has begun its second decade of existence with a projection of the
expansion of the colleges
in the University from the present two to nine colleges, the growing of student population to 10,000 and expansion of the University work force to 800 over the next decade.³⁴ This appears on the surface to be a tall
ambition but is achievable with the right level of funding and sound corporate governance. Aggressive
pursuance of new funding sources³⁵ by the University including
the FUO EDU Trust Fund, a funding
partnership between the University and the investment arm of NASFAT; and the Osun
State and Fountain University Development Foundation is capable of attracting substantial resources to the University in its quest for institutional, infrastructural and
physical development.

The Proprietor
of Fountain University appears not to have sufficiently exploited its pedigree
as a cross national religious
organization and social movement to attract institutional funding. NASFAT needs to be more aggressive in identifying Muslims,
Muslim organizations and religious foundations that promote Islamic
interests within and outside of the country
in its efforts at achieving sustainable funding. In addition,
a mass model of funding the University can be adopted through encouraging all members of NASFAT worldwide to make a
token contribution to the FUO project.
Increased funding by the Proprietor, increased donations from individuals and
corporate groups as well as access to
public funds like TETFUND will boost FUO‘s plan for introduction of new academic programmes and expansion of
physical and instructional facilities. This in turn will greatly enhance student enrolment in the University. Opportunity
by private universities to access state
resources through funding agencies like TETFUND will also support faculty
members in privately owned tertiary
institutions to engage in cutting-edge research and increased community service.

Conclusion

This chapter undertake
an institutional profiling and evolutionary trajectory of Fountain University, Osogbo as a player in provision of
educational services in Nigeria. The processes that led to the emergence of the University, its mission
statement as well as modest achievements of the University in the last 13 years are examined. As
Fountain University begins its second decade of operational existence, there are high prospects that
the dream of the founding fathers of the University is achievable if pro-active measures are taken to confront
the challenges facing
the growing institution.

34       
Chairman, Governing Council of FUO unveiled this ambitious plan in his speech during the 9th Convocation ceremony of the University.

35       
The Vice Chancellor revealed some of these
funding outlets in his speech
during the 9th Convocation ceremony.

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