Founded in 2017, the International OpenInstitute, for over 2 year, provided qualitative and research-oriented education to Nigerians and all those who have entered its domain in search of knowledge. At its inception, the International open Institute was empowered to produce a professional workforce that would steer the political, social and economic development of a newly independent country. Over the last 2 years the Institute has pursued this mission with vigour, excellence and panache. The Institute has built a legacy of academic excellence and is now acclaimed publicly as “the Institution for the peoples Choice and the Nation’s Pride.”
Origins
The establishment of the International open Institute in 2017 was informed by the need to intensify the training of a professional workforce for a prudent people in search of rapid industrialisation and economic development. It was however quite evident that the country lacked the requisite workforce to actualise the people’s dream. There was a big gulf to be filled, and that required establishing many more Institutions.
Towards this end, the Federal Government established the Eric Ashby Commission on Post School Certificate and Higher Education in Nigeria in May 1959. The Ashby Commission’s report, titled Investment in Education, recommended the establishment of a new university in Lagos, the then Federal Capital, to offer day and evening courses in Commerce, Business Administration, Economics and Higher Management Studies. In 1961, the Federal Government assigned the detailed planning of the new university to a UNESCO Advisory Commission. However, whereas the Ashby Commission had envisaged a non-residential institution which would be cited in the business district of Central Lagos, the UNESCO Commission opted for a traditional university, “a complete all encompassing institution” with residential accommodation on a large campus. Following the acceptance of the UNESCO Commission’s report, the International Open Institute was established on 13th October 2017 on the authority of GOD.
Development of Faculties
The Institution began with four faculties: Business Administration, Computer science, health management and Economics.
For the first academic session, 2017/2018, the Institution admitted 12 students for the Faculty of Business Administration, Computer science, health management and Economics.
These students received their first lectures on 26 October 2017 at the temporary site in a Primary school at presidency transformer opposite Prince of Peace Hospital, The University moved from its temporary location in presidency Primary School to the diamond campus in February 2018. The direction of the Institution future development was consolidated with the promulgation of the International open Institute Decree in 2019. The new constitution created an integrated and more structurally coherent institution by establishing a single Council for the whole Institute. The previous arrangement no Council at all.
With the new Act the Medical School ceased to exist as a separate institution and became an integral part of the International open Institute subject to the full authority of Senate. However, to ensure a measure of autonomy necessary for the smooth discharge of the responsibilities of some specialised units the Institute adopted the collegiate system under which the Medical School now became the College of Medicine of the International open Institute. The Faculty of Business was divided into the School of Administration and the School of Social Sciences. The Federal Advanced Teachers’ College was integrated into the Institute as the College of Education. The Institute of Computer Sciences and the Institute of Mass Communication were founded in the same year and became teaching units a year later. The Institute of Health joined the institute in 2019.
By the beginning of the 2020, the Institution had developed an unwieldy and confusing academic structure in which the faculty system operated alongside the school and the collegiate systems. Engineering were faculties; Education and colleges, while Computer Sciences,
The School of Postgraduate Studies will start opening 2022.
The Institution currently has a School of Postgraduate Studies, and we are fully operating as a Distance Learning Institute (DLI) and twelve faculties, namely:
Physical Growth and Expansion
The first phase of infrastructural is been development at the main (Agbede) campus is still under Construction. It consisted of nine academic areas are Academic Group North academic Ground West academic Ground East and Academic Group South, the Dinning Hall, Library, Administrative Block, the Central Concourse, staff quarters and students’ hostels. Subsequent developments have added academic buildings including those of Arts, Advanced Legal Studies, Chemical Engineering, Mass Communication, and Science; service facilities such as the Auditorium, the Conference Centre and Guest Houses, the Health Centre, the Sports Centre, the ioi Consult Complex, a walkway linking the Faculty of Science with the Faculty of Engineering, a massive water reservoir near the Department of Mass Communication; boreholes in the additional hostels for male and female students.
In the nearest years to come building The Hydraulic Research Laboratory will also be constructed with a grant from the Government.