Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has reiterated the commitment of his administration to making Ekiti State University (EKSU) a world-class institution by investing in infrastructure and digital tools that will make the learning environment conducive, accommodative and interesting.
Oyebanji, who made this known at the 27th convocation ceremony of EKSU on Thursday, April 20, said his government was pursuing a multi-pronged policy action that would allow schools in Ekiti State from primary to tertiary, responsive to the demand of today, and ensure that the products of the institutions can compete favorably with their counterparts from across the globe.
The governor, who made history as the first alumnus of EKSU to become the state governor and Visitor to the state-owned university, said his administration placed immense importance on human capital development and is committed to job creation, youth, and human development which occupied number two and three of his administration six-point agenda.
He said as part of his efforts to upscale digital education for job creation, his administration had launched Ekiti Digital Skill Academy this year with distribution of laptops to 100 youths, adding that the programme targets 500 youths to be given laptops and other devices to facilitate their learning experience.
While restating his administration’s commitment to quality education, Governor Oyebanji said his government has sustained the provision of bursary by giving support of N22.3 million to all qualified undergraduates and postgraduate students of Ekiti origin in 2022, adding that he would continue to do his best to ensure that the young ones have meaningful future through access to affordable education.
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Oyebanji, who urged the management of EKSU to use their research output to address and solve basic problems to attract more fund to the institution and become profitable, called on all stakeholders to support the University to attain a new height.
He, however, congratulated the graduands and urged them to take the advantage of the trainings and learning they have acquired to contribute their quota to humanity.
Also speaking at the event, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, Prof. Akin Oyebode, who commended Oyebanji for urgently effecting payment of one of the two outstanding subvention barely a week after inaugurating council, expressed his gratitude to the governor for appointing him and his other colleagues as members of council.
Oyebode assured that they would collaborate with management to raise the bar of excellence in the university and register it as an acceptable brand of global reckoning.
He commended the immediate past governing council and the university management for breaking new grounds through promotion of academic excellence and infrastructural development which he said has helped in repositioning the university as one of the high-ranking institutions internationally.
Oyebode, a Professor of Jurisprudence and a former Vice-Chancellor of EKSU, called on all stakeholders in the education sector, including the alumni to rise to the support of the university in boosting its developmental projects for greater achievements just as he also enjoined the graduands to start thinking of what they could contribute to their alma mater to elevate its standards.
In his remarks, the EKSU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Edward Olanipekun, announced some of the achievements of the University to include securing accreditation for 81 regular programmes by the National Universities Commission (NUC) with another eight programmes having interim accreditation.
Olanipekun added that the university also made success in the area of ICT infrastructure, noting that the institution was able to produce transcript for its students within 72 hours of request as well as achieving the feat of ensuring that all graduands went with their original certificates on graduation day as against the old system where students only get statement of results and wait endlessly for their certificates.
Others at the event were the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon. Olubunmi Adelugba; Secretary to the State Government, Dr Habibat Adubiaro; members of the Governing Council; members of the state executive council; and traditional rulers; among others.
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