The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria, His Excellency, Ambassador Oladele Akadiri, OON, has instituted a N1million anti-corruption essay competition for staff and students of the Institution as part of measures to engender transparency and due process in the nation.

He made the pronouncement during a three-day workshop, entitled, “Building University Culture in Adekunle Ajasin University” held recently on campus.

The Pro-Chancellor proposed “Can Corruption and Indiscipline Be Eradicated from Nigeria? If So, How? And What Role Can Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba, Play in Such an Undertaking?” as theme for the essay competition.

Ambassador Akadiri, who described such intellectual engagement (Essay Competition) as an indispensable element of University Culture, said, “I am proposing a competitive academic exercise on campus, in form of an essay that would be open to all students and staff, or a thesis, or a dissertation.

And the exercise could take off in July and end in September this year, so that necessary awards could be given to the winner and two runners-up in October, 2015, all totaling 1,000,000 (one million) Naira, at my own expense.”

The Pro-Chancellor asked the University Management to set up a three-man Committee to establish the necessary ground rules and standards for the competition.

While noting that AAUA is already noted for academic excellence, the Pro-Chancellor said the University and other universities in Nigeria must inculcate Moral Culture – transparency, honesty and absolute integrity – as a way of life “in these days of Universal Corruption and pervasive indiscipline in our country”.

Ambassador Akadiri said, “On an equal footing with academic excellence, honesty and integrity must find a permanent home at AAUA, to such extent that, when employers of labour are out in search of incorruptible staff, Akungba will become their first port of call.”