From Kayemo News
President Bola Tinubu says his administration is determined to put Nigeria in the forefront of education, technology, and Environmental Sciences in Africa, and to position Nigeria as one of the most developed institutions globally.
President Tinubu said as part of measures to achieve the vision, his government had introduced several significant initiatives and policies in the education sector as part of the “Renewed Hope Agenda”. Key special efforts which include: Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), National Education Data System, government strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Tertiary Institution Staff Support Fund among others, apart from creating special universities that would place Nigeria on the global map in terms of Science and Technology
Represented by the Chairman, Governing Council and Pro-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences, FUTES Iyin Ekiti, Senator Binta Garba, the president stated this in Iyin Ekiti after he led the FUTES Council Members on a visit to Oluyin-in-Council, inspected the university’s facilities for take off of academic programmes and held the second Council meeting with the recently appointed four Principal officers and Council Members of the institution.
The Council Members include the Representative of Federal Ministry of Education, Mrs Agnes Dare, Pioneer Provost, College of Medicine, Afe Babalola University, Professor Rotimi Sanya, Alhaji Dahiru, Dr Joyce Ogunyemi, while the FUTES Principal officers are the Vice Chancellor, Professor, Gbenga Aribisala, Registrar, Mr Oluwole Dada, Bursar, Mrs Rachael Ajayi and the School Librarian, Professor Issac Busayo.
Senator Binta Garba explained that the council was firmly determined to work with the University’s principal officers in line with the federal government’s goals on education, to bring about academic excellence and achieve President Bola Tinubu’s target of advancing Technology and Environmental Sciences.
She said measures had been put in place to achieve a new Nigeria and educational sector that would put the country among the twenty, developed nations, if not ten in terms of science and technology
“So the present administration’s vision is to see a new Nigeria in a new focused educational sector that will bring about diversity outside the Nigerian circle, into the international village that is being called. That Nigeria will be in the forefront. If not the first 10, maybe the first 20 globally when it comes to the environmental Sciences and Technology in terms of acquiring education, and giving the country a facelift.”
The President explained further that “the expectation of the community (Iyin Ekiti) via this university also showed that
Every son and daughter of this community is happy, proud and extending their facilitation
to the federal government for giving them this laudable project that will exceed their time.”
The President, through the FUTES Governing Council Chairman, commended the Vice Chancellor, Professor Gbenga Aribisala and his team for a job well done in terms of setting a pace for academic excellence, environment and university culture that promote and prepare students to tackle future challenges and be major players in job creation.
“Every culture across Nigeria, I mean the 36 States coming for one goal, to acquire knowledge and not only acquiring knowledge, but bringing back that
knowledge into fruition to see that the Nigeria that will dream up in terms of environmental Sciences and Technology’ will come to us”
While appreciating President Bola Tinubu for signing the university into law to be the first of its kind, “Environmental Sciences and Technology’, the FUTES Council Members said that the president’s support also gave the institution the privilege to get free support from different bodies, financially, morally and otherwise.
They expressed optimism that the university would move fully to its permanent site within a short period and called on individuals to partner with the institution to put in place modern infrastructure that would stand the test of time.
The Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences, FUTES Iyin Ekiti, Professor Gbenga Aribisala used the forum to hint that academic activities would commence fully by December this year after staff recruitment and orientation.
Professor Aribisala said “Let me also use this opportunity to let us know that academic activities will start hopefully by December because we are hoping that some of these
facilities will be ready by the end of this month, and then, I also need to tell the
public that the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria had graciously approved that we do recruitment
of staff, both teaching and non-teaching, and by the special grace of God, the advertisement is out in two national dailies, and it’s going to run for about six weeks, after which we are going to do the recruitment”.
“The portal where applications will be submitted is ready, you know we are in the twenty first century, so it is not going to be manual, applicants will need to apply
online. The link is already in that advertisement, it’s also on the school website. Different vacancies are there,
it’s a federal university, it covers the whole federation because of the federal character, so after people have applied we are going to write an exam online and people who succeed in that will now go for the final stage of the interview’. Professor Aribisala said.
The FUTES Vice Chancellor pointed out that the university had admitted over 1,300 students who will start academic activities before the end of this year, saying that the institution would have gotten more than that, if it had more time, because in the
The timetable and policy of JAMB, Public universities generally should close admission by 12.00 midnight on the last Friday of October.
During a visit to the Palace of Oluyin of Iyin Ekiti, Oba Adeola Ajakaye assured the university that the Town would continue to provide an enabling environment for the staff and students, being their landlord, saying that hospitality remains their culture in Iyin Ekiti.
Oba Ajakaye said “Let me just assure you here that whatever it is in our capacity to make this university a great one, we will be ready to do it for you. We are ready, we will make the environment so conducive for the smooth takeoff of the university and for the running of the institution. ”
“Again, to thank most sincerely the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for not only signing into law this University but also giving the institution every right to have free support, financially, morally and otherwise. I believe you can see the way and manner construction is going here in the university. It shows that it is the first of its kind in the educational sector an environmental science,
I think we have a president who wants it to be the first of its kind and with what we’ve seen on the ground.” said Oba Ajakaye
The traditional Ruler speaks further, “and we just want to plead again, like you said, a new thing normally requires certain things to go the extra mile. So whatever is in your capacity to go the extra mile to help us so that we can have a strong future, please don’t hesitate to help us out. And when we call upon you, we are never at risk. We would continue to ask for more so that we can make the university a better place for all of us.”