Television College Station is my greatest dream...Dr. Ayo Fasan

NTA Television College located in Jos, Plateau State is the foremost and only Television College in West Africa. It has over the years passed through several administrations and leadership. Dr. Ayo Fasan, the Rector of the institution revealed the challenges he has faced and dreams he has for the College....  Interview by Johnpaul nnamdi.

We have heard so many speculations and stories about who Dr. Ayo Fasan is. Can we hear from you who you really are?

I was born in the year 1952 in the month of November. I am blessed with a wife and we have three children. My educational background is prolific; my educational experience started in Ilesha were I attended primary school and in Ibadan for my secondary school. I also have an HNC. I had my first degree in University of Ibadan as well as my first and second masters’ degree. Then I got my honourary doctorate degree in Bradley University USA.

From what we gathered, you have been an administrator. From an administrator to a rector of a college, what were your expectations?

I came into Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) as an admin officer, and then later I was made a manager in charge of training and industrial relations. So that was how I got my first experience in training. For about fifteen years, I was moving between administration and training and I believe it was because of my success in the training department headquarters that made the former DG of NTA, Mallam Usman Magawata to deploy me to NTA Television College. My background in training has exposed me to on the job training and additional acquisition of additional skills and knowledge. I consider that this have been able to help me since I became rector of the college in 2009.

What was the state of infrastructure when you took over as rector of the college four years ago?

Then we had more of structures. We had the admin block donated by Bauchi State government; we have the female hostel donated by Delta state government and our guest house which was donated by the Osun State government. But then, the classroom block and lecture hall were uncompleted and that was like a challenge to us because we had more students gaining admission into the college. Also, there is no boys’ hostel in the college. This makes us to use a rented apartment outside the campus.

So what is the state of infrastructure today?

We did not do much in terms of structure. But we were able to do a lot in the acquisition of modern television equipment for students’ practical. Just the beginning of this year, we procured equipments worth four million naira because we believe that our students need to have a certain level of experience before the go for attachment and internship in any media outfit. However, some other structures like the class room block have been raised and will be complement soon.

We will like to have a glimpse of how you were able to transform the state of infrastructure.

First of all, financial constraint did not enable us to do more. But I think God used me to alter the academic area for better. I have been able to make sure that our students graduate as at the time they are supposed to graduate. Before I came we had three degree sets that have not graduated but were outside the college. I was able to pay the lecturers their outstanding salaries so that they can put things in order. And as soon as students graduate, they go for their National Youth Service in due time.

Among all what you have said, what has been the most challenging aspect for you as the rector of the college?

Finance has posed a great challenge to my administration. Before my tenure as rector, funds were adequately raised for other rectors. But you will agree with me that financial resources are dwindling not only in Nigeria, but all over the world. This have made the funds we receive from the headquarters to reduce and we have been asked to source for funds elsewhere. This way, we have related with many corporate bodies both national and international and we are hoping to get something out of it.

We asked you about your expectations earlier. We like to know if you have accomplished your mission as a rector of the college.

Let me give glory first of all to the Almighty God because I believe he has used me for this college. The image of this college was very bad before especially in terms of owing lecturers, contractors and so on. But since I came here, I have used the resources I am supposed to use for my own term to clear the backlog of debts the college owed. For this reason alone I am happy.

As you leave the college, what legacy would you like to leave behind?

The legacy I would have loved to leave behind is the legacy of acquiring a transmitter for the college. I am not happy this has not been done. We have written severally to the NTA headquarters, but our plea has fallen on deaf ears. What makes me sad is that there was a transmitter allocated to this college before I came. But right now it nowhere to be found. It is unfortunate that NTA Television College, the only Television College in West Africa does not have a transmitter. We are supposed to have a transmitter so that we will be able to transmit and our students will handle it instead of going to other stations for their attachment. You see, these are the kinds of things we are soliciting for from private individuals and corporate bodies. My dream is that we should have a Television College station in Jos and I believe we can achieve this because while I was in NTA Osogbo there was not even a structure, but I pioneered the station and up till date they are on air.

 

Sir, if you were to give a tip to your successor on how to run the college, what will you tell him?

 What I will tell my successor is that he should not see himself as a Rector. He or she should see himself as a mother or father to the students. That is the way I have been operating this college and there was no crisis. I give thanks to God because he gave me the wisdom. I also tell my students not to see me as their rector rather they should regard me as their father and I will treat them as such. They can see me at any time because my doors are always open. So my successor should see himself as a parent and things will work well along that line and other things will fall in place.

You will be retiring soon and there are insinuations that you will soon leave NTA Television College. Where do we hope to see Dr. Ayo Fasan next?

When I retire, I will go back to my village. But I will still be in the circle because I am a trainer and a consultant nationally and internationally. I have been to Kenya, Ethiopia, Canada and some other countries to train people. So I intend to go into that fulltime. The good thing is that the world is now a global village and with the advent technology I can be reach at anytime and any day.

O.K Sir, is there anything we have not asked you that you want to say?

There is an issue I have been stressing since and it is always my advice to students. I always advise them to be serious with their studies. Most of them see us as their role models and the question is how did we get there? Definitely we disciplined ourselves to get to this point where they are now making us their role models. Let them discipline themselves too because there is no shortcut to success. As students, instead wining and dining all day, they should face their studies because life is a process and with this, they will be t better than us.