…as another Ekiti community donates 13 hectares to institution
From Kehinde Adewole
The Alumni association, Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), and other stakeholders, i.e FUOYE Muslim community and a neighbouring community, Itapa-Ekiti, have plegded their unreserved support for the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Professor Sunday Abayomi Fasina, saying their wish is for him to record unprecedented success in his five-year tenure which began on February 11.
According to a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday, by the Special Adviser on Media to the VC, Wole Balogun, the stakeholders gave the assurance to the VC when they paid courtesy visits to him and were received at the VC’s conference room in the Central Administration complex of FUOYE.
President of the Alumni Association, Mr. Arogundade Temitope Elijah, who led other executive members, i.e Vice President, Olaoyenikan Olaniyi, General Secretary, Ojo Taiye Financial Secretary, Olama and Alumni relation officer: Mr Ola, revealed that the association has strong faith in the administration of Prof. Fasina because of his past records as a goal-getter and sound administrator. He added that he has no doubt that FUOYE will witness tremendous success during the VC’s tenure.
Arogundade said: “We are very lucky to have Prof. Fasina as VC because he is a result oriented man. Based on his past experiences, especially with Alumni association in his former institution and being that he is in charge now, we now know that the FUOYE Alumni association will be well supported.
“We are ready to make sure that FUOYE achieve its dreams. Based on my previous experience with our VC, I have no doubt that he will take FUOYE to higher heights. We plegde our full support and assure that we will work with you.”
Responding, Prof. Fasina said he has always been passionate about working with the Alumni Association to achieve more success. He assured the delegation that he will work with them as the helmsman of FUOYE. He informed the delegation that he has appointed a Director for the University’s Advancement centre, Prof Azeez Olaniyan, adding that: ” I want us to organise many programmes that will strengthen our relationships with other stakeholders in a way that we will benefit immensely. Such programmes include edutainment, training, working out a compedium, and developmental programmes etc. Do not say you are still young. dream big, I will support you to realize your dreams.”
Also speaking during the meeting, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, Prof. Sola Omotola, urged the University Management to consider a representation of the Alumni Association in the University Governing Council for smoother and more fufilling rapport. The VC promptly agreed with the proposal.
In another development, the FUOYE Muslim community led by Dr. Ahmed Olaide, Dr. Ibrahim Adeyanju, FUOYE’s Local branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)’ s Vice-Chairman, Dr. Abibat Adubiaro, Prince Ambali Ajayi, the University’s Chief Accountant, the University’s Director of Medical Centre, Mr. Olawale Olanrewaju, and Dr. Olaide Nasir, made known some of their requests to the VC.
Speaking on behalf of the community, Dr. Adeyanju said: “We are glad to meet you sir, we need no soothsayer to tell us that your tenure will witness progress because we know the stuff you are made of. We need a permanent site for worship, we urge you to give us five plots of land. We also urge you to remind our people that lectures should not affect the Muslim prayers on Fridays.
“We also urge you to kindly help intervene in cooperative deductions, we could not get ours for the Muslim community. And for the up coming staff school, we request that we should factor in the girl child education, such as using Ijab, so our girls should not be disenfranchiserd. Let Muslim have a sense of belonging.”
While responding to the Muslim community, Prof. Fasina said: “You are my people and I have reasons for saying that. You have supported me so much and l promise you, l will give you my support at all time.
I assure you that you will get the letter on five plots of land. I do not want bureaucracy to kill our performance.
” We will also write again to our community to stop fixing lectures between 1pm and 2pm on Fridays.
We will give you participation in our ceremonial Commitees. We will try our best to ensure that the challenge with the deductions is solved. We have no problems with special uniforms but we don’t want anyone to be naked. And people should not violate the extant rules of the University.
“We are already making concrete plans on a Staff School. Ayegbaju community has said they are donating 72 plots of land for us. And we want the students of our staff school to resume in September this year. The welfare of the people matters a lot.There won’t be discrimination against anyone. We will give discount to our staff who will have their kids their so as to help reduce the burden of school fees,” he assured.
Prof. Fasina also used the opportunity to further extend Olive branch to some warring faction of ASUU in FUOYE, saying: ” I have said that there are so many opportunities that we can create for ASUU. The only way you can show that you are a scholar is to help others. I have forgiven ASUU and I also urge them to forgive me if I have offended them. Let us not externalize our problems. We have got to a stage where we should be able to manage our problems internally and not allow interferences from outside.”
The VC also commended Dr. Adubiaro, who has been holding forte since the exit of Dr. Akin Omonijo as ASUU, FUOYE local charman, for being mature during the ASUU/Management crisis.
In yet another very exciting development, Oba Makanjuola Ajaja, Ilufemiloye l, Owatapa of Itapa kingdom, also led a team of amiable Owatapa-in-Council, the chiefs in his palace, to pay a courtesy visit to the VC.
Oba Ajaja who holds a PhD in History and International Relations, and is a former lecturer with the Ekiti State University, where Prof. Fasina had also taught before he joined FUOYE, shared some fond memories with the VC during the meeting. He said the delegation he led is from Itapa-Ekiti, one of the fifteen towns that make up the Oye Local Government area of Ekiti State.
He read from a speech already prepared, saying: “I, on behalf of the entire sons and daughters of Itapa-Ekiti express our profound gratitude to the University authorities for considering us to play host community to the institution’s pre-Degree programmes. We pray that the visibility of the University, under your supervision, will be raised to its zenith.
“We also seek the indulgence of the VC, to praise the pioneering efforts of that workaholic gentleman, Dr. Akintola, the Director of Pre-degree programmes at the Itapa Campus. He has been doing a yeoman’s job in the place ab initio.
” The rejuvenation efforts going on at the Itapa centre of FUOYE can only be seen than imagined.
Having said that, I should intimate the Vice-Chancellor with the fact that Itapa Community has graciously released a land area measuring 13 hectares of land for use by the University, at no cost to the university. The piece of land has already been properly surveyed and that the community is waiving all other requirements the institution is to fulfill on it so that work could begin on the land in earnest,” he said
Responding, the Vice-Chancellor, appreciated the Itapa community for their huge support.
He said: “Dr. Akintoka has done excellently well. He is practical and very resourceful. We appreciate you for the land you have also given to us. Everyone has been eager to have a part of FUOYE in their domain. I am considering using your place for commercial farming. We will continue to partner with you.Your community has done excellently well.
“I have been properly briefed about your excellent performance as host community in having good rapport with us. We will continue to synergize with you to make the town to progress.”
Also speaking, FUOYE Registrar, Mr. Olatunbosun Odusanya, said: “You will recall that six communities had pleaded for the Pre-Degree programmes to be sited in their domain but you were the only one who passed the test for the bidding. You provided so many things, office furniture and generator. But we urge you to also do more. While others couldn’t meet up, you were able to perform fairly well.”
