Dr Charles Williams Oluwatoyin, Rector, Nigeria-Korea Friendship Institute
When Charles Williams arrived at the Nigeria-Korea Friendship Institute in 2022, the school had just 40 students. Three years later, more than 900 now fill its classrooms — a change the rector says has transformed the institute and the futures of the young people who pass through it.
Speaking in Lokoja at the weekend, Dr Williams said the surge in enrolment marked a 500 per cent rise since he took office. He added that the school had widened its academic focus, introducing programmes in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and robotics, while also improving campus security and launching a new website and academic portal.
He said all NKFI courses had now secured full accreditation from the National Board for Technical Education, including automotive mechatronics, welding and fabrication, electrical and electronic technology and computer software engineering.
Dr Williams highlighted new partnerships with Kogi Polytechnic, Confluence University of Science and Technology and the African Development Study Centre, describing them as “important for research and fabrication”.
Looking ahead, he said the institute had secured land for a permanent site and planned a part-time studies centre in Obajana. He praised support from the Korean government and thanked former governor Yahaya Bello and Governor Ahmed Ododo for backing NKFI’s work to equip young Nigerians with technical skills.
