Director of UNILAG’s International Affairs Calls for Increased Student Engagement with Unit

By Similoluwa Akinboyo and Iman Aiyeola

The Director of International Relations, Partnerships and Prospects (IRPP) Unit, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Professor Ismail Ibraheem, has urged students to actively engage with the unit, stating that its programmes provide opportunities for academic, social, and personal development.

Speaking with UNILAG Sun, Ibraheem expressed concern over the low level of student engagement, noting that interactions with the unit are often limited to orientation programmes.

“When people come in during the orientation programme, different units come to make presentations to students about their activities, but the interaction ends at orientation,” he said.

“Students don’t normally engage afterwards.”

He attributed this lack of interaction partly to students’ scepticism about international opportunities, noting that many perceive them as scams and therefore, avoid applying.

“A lot of young people believe these things are scams,” he said.

“They feel they don’t have any chance, so they don’t apply and don’t engage.”

Ibraheem noted that the benefits provided by the office can only be fully maximised if students actively participate in its programmes and events. 

He disclosed that the unit plans to gather feedback from students to assess its communication strategies and identify areas for improvement, adding that the office also intends to highlight success stories of past beneficiaries to encourage wider student participation.

Ibraheem noted that the IRPP Unit has facilitated several impactful international collaborations in line with the university’s vision of attaining global relevance and competitiveness.

He revealed that one of the collaborations is a joint Master of Laws (LLM) programme between UNILAG and the University of Dundee, which enables students in Nigeria to earn dual degrees from both institutions.