The newly appointed Chairman of the Governing Council of Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Olukayode Ojo, has promised on behalf of other council members of the university to ensure the institution becomes a globally-recognised citadel of learning.

Ojo, who gave the assurance during a three-day working visit for the inspection of projects and familiarisation tour of the Oye and Ikole-Ekiti campuses of the university with other members, said he was impressed with what he saw on the ground and described FUOYE as an institution with potential for greatness.

The governing council chairman, while commending the management of the institution for sustaining the vision of the Federal Government in establishing the university, said the Council would work hand-in-hand with the Vice-Chancellor (VC) to sustain the tempo and take it a notch higher.

He, however, expressed his reservation over inadequate facilities in respect of the surging student population and promised to bring it to the attention of the Federal Government and other relevant authorities.

He said: “This institution is very important. With the student population and the fact that this is one of the most subscribed by prospective Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) candidates, it is obvious that the facilities here are below 50 per cent of the required infrastructure for such growth. We need government intervention immediately and we will do everything humanly possible and within the prism of law to attract government attention.

“We are very optimistic that we will get a lot of support from different agencies of government and other well-meaning people to meet up rapidly with the infrastructural needs of the university. These facilities are needed so that the students can be well-prepared for the future. As you are aware, this institution has multiple campuses. So, we are going to make a case that the university be treated as such.”

Ojo further said that the council is currently proposing to sit down and develop a developmental plan so that they could factor in where government intervention would be needed and where individuals could step in.

Meanwhile, earlier in his welcome address, the VC of the university, Prof. Abayomi Fasina, who said his management team was elated to receive Ojo and other members of the Council, described their period of appointment as being timely and necessary for the upliftment of the 13-year-old institution.

Fasina, while speaking to journalists on the sideline of the visit, said that the management of the institution had so far touched all aspects of the university positively, starting from academic to farming activities.

He said: “We now have 16 hectares of palm trees and pineapples to support the Federal Government on food security. Of course, we also use them as training for our students. We have also built several classrooms, at least more than 40 as I speak. We have changed the face of the university and that is why I am not surprised that the university is ranked fourth most subscribed in Nigeria.”