Former Senator representing Ekiti North Senatorial District, Senator Ayo Arise, has clarified that the establishment of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti  (FUOYE) was facilitated through his efforts and engagements with the Federal Government.

 

Addressing journalists in Ado-Ekiti at the weekend, Arise, who served in the National Assembly between 2007 and 2011, said he initiated the process of securing a Federal University for Oye-Ekiti following President Goodluck Jonathan’s announcement in November 2010 of plans to establish six new federal universities in states without such institutions.

 

He said the narrative crediting others with the establishment of FUOYE amounted to an attempt to distort the history of the university and diminish the contributions of those who worked to ensure that Oye-Ekiti became its permanent location.

 

According to him, President Jonathan had announced on November 28, 2010, that the Federal Government would establish six new universities in states that did not have federal universities.

 

Arise said that the following day, he wrote to the Minister of Education through the ministry’s then Permanent Secretary, Professor Oladapo Afolabi, requesting that one of the proposed universities be established in Oye-Ekiti.

 

His words, “I have become aware of recent narratives about the establishment of the Federal University Oye Ekiti. Some of these accounts appear to be deliberate attempts to diminish my role in the effort that, by God’s grace and with President Jonathan’s approval, led to the university being established in Oye Ekiti.

 

“The following are the accounts as it happened. On Sunday the 28th of November 2010, President Jonathan announced his intention to establish six new Universities in States where there were no Federal Universities. The news was aired by NTA network at about 9 pm.

 

“The next day, I wrote to the Honourable Minister of Education through the Ministry’s then Permanent Secretary, Professor Afolabi, requesting that one of the universities be established in Oye Ekiti. Professor Afolabi advised me to address the letter to the then Minister of State, the late Kenneth Gbagi.

 

“I immediately went to his office and, as directed by his secretary, waited for him because he was on his way back to the office. He arrived less than five minutes later, accompanied by Professor Okojie of the NUC and Professor Yakubu of TETFund, who later became INEC Chairman.

 

“After my initial presentation, Professor Okojie said that Oye is a rural community because he visited Oye before, to inspect the location for Crawford University before relocation to Ogun state. Late Kenneth Gbagi looked at me and said that he was looking for a location where the university could take off immediately.

 

“I told him Oye was ready as there was a teachers college established by the Federal Government in the seventies. I then asked him whether he would not consider the hometown of the man who gave him his job simply because the community was rural? There and then Gbagi said he already have location for two of the six Universities i.e. Otuoke and Oye Ekiti.

 

“The next phase was the journey for inspection of the facilities. It was during the visit that they paid a courtesy call to the newly sworn in governor Fayemi who decided to take them to Ikole Ekiti for inspection.

 

“Late Gbagi thereafter declared that he established a Federal University of Agriculture in Ikole. This was done, without any Federal Executive Council approval nor that of the President. This became a very serious issue between the two communities.

 

“The same set of people selling the concocted lies we are reading today, festered the ember of hatred between many sons and daughters of Ikole who believed that Ayo Arise relocated the University from Ikole to Oye Ekiti. This was not the case as nobody requested for the University until I had submitted my letter and had met with Hon. Gbagi, Professor Okojie and Professor Yakubu.

 

“I became the Chairman Senate Committee on Privatization in July 2007. Vice President Jonathan as at that time was the statutory chairman of the National Council on Privatization. My committee had direct oversight responsibility for the Council that the Vice President chaired.