Adebayo Adenrele
…says Varsity’ll soon witness Institutional reforms
Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State has called on the Alumni Leaders of the Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, (EKSU) to seek ingenious ways of assisting the University, rather than waiting endlessly for government subvention before executing projects in the Institution.
Oyebanji urged them to always reach out to their affluent members in position of authority within and outside the country to give back to their alma mater.
The Governor, who stated this on Tuesday while receiving members of the Alumni Association and Board of Trustees of the Institution in his office, noted that the government subvention might not be adequate, adding stakeholders of the university have to come together to chart a way forward that would take the university out of the woods and reposition it among the world acclaim Institutions of higher learning.
While calling for a multi-faceted approach to resolve the myriads of problems facing the institution, the Governor also assured the association that he would liaise with alumni members in the National Assembly to see what they can do to invest in the university by embarking on projects that would enliven the Institution.
Oyebanji also assured the people of the state that EKSU would soon witness remarkable institutional reforms in view of the capacity and integrity of members of the University’s newly inaugurated Governing Council.
He expressed conviction that the lost glory of the university would be restored as all hands would be on deck to ensure things move in the appropriate cardinal.
In his words, “EKSU will definitely rise again, we will reclaim the lost glory, support will surely come, but there are some conditions to be met, I believe that there must be institutional reforms, the process must be there before we put resources.
“I’m an Ambassador of the alumni association and I know that we have history to judge us, if we don’t do it now, we don’t know when an alumnus will be the Governor again, so we will do everything humanly possible to ensure that we don’t disappoint you.
“We have come to a point whereby we need a conclave of council, alumni association, BOT, government, the unions PTA to sit down and agree on acceptable plan for that university. All stakeholders must be on the table and we must adopt a resolution with clear timeline on what we are supposed to do. Government will take its own responsibilities, management will take its own. Whatever is referred to me as a government, I will do. If we don’t do that, we will be jumping on the same spot.”
Also at the meeting were the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Habibat Adubiaro, Head of Service, Barr. Bamidele Agbede, Special Adviser, Education, Science and Technology, Dr Bimpe Aderiye, Special Adviser, Industry, Trade and Investment, Tola Adeola and Special Adviser, Media, Yinka Oyebode.