The meeting commenced at 5:06pm with an opening prayer by Engr. Ashimi Adebisi and a Welcome Address by the Section Vice Chair, Engr. John Funso-Adebayo.

The preparation for NIGERCON 2017 were deliberated upon with emphasis on the review of the past conference, progress status, likely conference date and venue, as well as the constitution of the Conference Planning Committee.

After this, a review of the 2016 Region 8 SYP Congress was carried out. The problem of visa denial was scrutinized and recommendations were made to reduce such.

Members pose to take a picture after the Meeting
Members pose to take a picture after the Meeting

In order to cover the activities and events that will be carried out on IEEE Day 2016 simultaneously, Virtualization technology was suggested as the most appropriate avenue. The National Executives agreed to get all necessary resources and configurations and send same to all members and units.

In addition, the Section was urged to collaborate with other Professional Bodies on events, activities presence and technology standards such as Wi-fi, Open Access and other related technology.

Different approaches of seeking for sponsorship and funds were then looked into. These approaches include:

  • Branding the Section positioning and appearance
  • Constant featuring in various available publications such as ICT, professional and contemporary publications and dailies.
  • Taking active participation in related professional activities and events.
  • Recognizing excellence in different industry as it relates to the professional development.

In similar light, improvement strategies for Student Branches (SB) in the Section were formulated. They include:

  • Reviewing of SB activities in other R8 Sections.
  • Conducting national awareness/outreach campaign to academic institutions especially where SB exists.
  • Staging SB membership drives across other non-SBs institutions.

On the poor state of the University of Ibadan’s Digital Library, some factors were observed as reasons behind its dilapidated state and include among others:

  • Poor maintenance culture
  • Lack/inadequacy in administration
  • Poor operation of the facilities

Recommended solutions to these problems were also given:

  • That the parties involved be contacted officially to express the Section displeasure with the current situation.
  • That the MoU be reviewed to capture the restoration of the facilities and future management.
  • And as a last option, that the structure be relocated to either another department or outside the school where it might satisfy the purpose it was meant for.

The meeting had seven members in attendance and UNILAG was suggested as the venue for the next Section meeting.