Martins predicts bright future for St Augustine COE
By Gabriel Dike
•Archbishiop Martins and vicar generals admire new logo
The Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos, Most Rev. Dr. Alfred Adewale Martins says the future of the 53-year-old St Augustine College of Education (SACOED), Akoka, Lagos, is now looking bright to continue with its mandate of producing quality teachers for the country.
Archbishop Martins, who is the Proprietor of St Augustine College of Education said he approved the rebranding of the institution to overcome certain challenges.
He gave the assurance of a positive change in SACOED when he unveiled a new logo for the institution. The event attracted some Vicar Generals, Reverend Sisters, old students and different lay societies in Lagos Archdiocese.
According to him, the provost presented to him a proposal to rebrand SACOED and to address the challenges that plague the college.
He stated: “There have been high and low points. The low point led to consideration to do something about the institution. Things began to change when the provost accepted my offer to take up the leadership of SACOED.
“The provost met many challenges on the ground and he told me he sees a bright future for SACOED if all his requests are approved. The transformation we are experiencing is a positive development.
“This institution has been turned around. Teachers and students see themselves as partners. Fifty-three years after, we can see a bright future for SACOED. We expect the institution will continue to grow with the introduction of new courses and the ongoing rebranding,” Archbishop stressed.
He commended the Governing Council, the provost, staff and students for supporting the ongoing rebranding and predicted that at the end of the exercise, the college would regain its lost glory.
Related News
In his address, SACOED Provost, Rev. Fr. Dr. Vincent Olofinkua recalled how the college was established in 1977, which was the initiative of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus (SHCJ) and later adopted as a joint ecumenical project of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).
He explained that CBCN ceded the sole ownership of the college to the Archdiocese of Lagos in the 90s, when it was known as the Institute of Moral Education (Project T:I: M: E).
Dr. Olofinkua said the college has grown for over 50 years to offer other programnes such as the Nigerian Certificate of Education (NCE) and B.Sc/B.Ed courses in affiliation with the University of Ibadan.
He revealed that SACOED had been repositioned to embrace technology and best global educational practices in both Pedagogy and infrastructure.
Said he: “The new development in the college has necessitated a total rebranding that would reflect the core values, vision and mission of the college but one that would reflect and project the current status.”
Olofinkua said one of the steps towards achieving the goal is the redesigning of the college logo to meet with the new trend in the college and also accurately present it to the outside World.
He commended students that participated in the competition for the design of the logo and congratulated the two students that won the competition.
Reviewer of the new logo, Sir Peter Osamgbi said rebranding became necessary to reposition the college and to enable it take its pride of place amongst comity of schools in the education sector in the country.
Osamgbi, an Alumnus of the college, explained that the provost turned to his students to participate in the rebranding of SACOED and 11 students submitted design.
“At the end, three designs were shortlisted and two were eventually chosen, worked on by the committee with the proprietors input to arrive at the logo, he pointed out.
The two SACOED students whose logo won the competition, Conde Mohammed (400 level) and Opadola Busola (200 level) were presented with the prizes by Archbishop Martins.
The highpoint of the event was the unveiling of the new logo by the college proprietor flanked by vicar generals, provost and other priests.