… As VC, Aribisala Says University Will Produce Job Creators, Not Job Seekers
By Ayodele Abere
The Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences (FUTES), Iyin-Ekiti, has recorded significant academic, research and infrastructural achievements within its first academic session, with the institution setting a target of becoming one of the leading universities globally within its first 10 years.
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. James Aribisala, disclosed this on Friday while addressing journalists at a press conference held at the university campus in Iyin-Ekiti, Ekiti State to mark the completion of the institution’s inaugural academic session.
Aribisala said the university, which commenced academic activities with 1,564 students across 35 departments and four faculties, had successfully completed its first and second semesters.
He said the 2026/2027 academic session would commence on October 12, 2026, adding that efforts were already underway to ensure that the second-semester results were approved before the commencement of the new session.
According to him, FUTES was established as a specialised university with a mandate focused on technology and environmental sciences, stressing that the institution would not deviate into areas outside its core mandate.
He said his vision was to build a residential and ICT-compliant university capable of producing graduates who would create jobs rather than depend solely on seeking employment.
“We want a university that will attract research that is globally visible and carry out cutting-edge research,” he said.
The Vice-Chancellor said the university had already begun demonstrating its research potential by securing a National Research Fund (NRF) grant within its first academic session.
He disclosed that the grant was won by Dr Solomon Popoola of the Faculty of Computing, describing the achievement as particularly significant because the NRF funding was secured through a competitive process.
Aribisala also disclosed that Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele had pledged N1 billion for research at FUTES over five years, amounting to N200 million annually.
Work in progress at the University permanent site.
He said academic staff had commenced the process of submitting research proposals, while a Senate committee had been established to ensure that the funds were channelled into credible and standard research projects.
The Vice-Chancellor added that FUTES had established multidisciplinary research groups through its Centre for Research and Innovation to position its academics to attract grants within and outside Nigeria.
He further disclosed that the university was close to signing an agreement with Morgan State University in the United States for academic and research collaboration.
On student welfare and access to education, Aribisala commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), saying the initiative had enabled students from low-income families to pursue university education.
He said several FUTES students, including 100-level students, were already benefiting from the scheme.
“To me, one of the greatest things to have happened to university education in Nigeria is this NELFUND, that the children of the poor can attend universities,” he said.
He described the initiative as highly commendable and unprecedented in the history of the country, expressing appreciation to the President for the policy.
The Vice-Chancellor also announced that the National Universities Commission (NUC) had recently conducted resource verification for three proposed programmes at FUTES—Artificial Intelligence, Telecommunication Science, and Tourism and Hospitality Management.
He said the university was awaiting the outcome of the exercise, adding that approval would enable it to commence admission into the programmes.
Aribisala said the institution also planned to introduce Anatomy, Physiology, Nursing and Medicine when the necessary facilities were completed at the permanent site.
He said development of the permanent site was progressing rapidly, with about 38 buildings at various stages of construction, some of which were nearing completion.
According to him, the university had also benefited from interventions by the Federal Government, TETFund, individuals and organisations.
He particularly acknowledged Senator Bamidele for providing seed funding, buildings and vehicles that facilitated the university’s take-off.
He also commended the Managing Director of Premium Trust Bank, Pastor(Dr.) Emmanuel Emefienem, for providing funds used to establish laboratories.
Aribisala said some families had donated 200 hectares of land for the permanent site, while members of the Iyin-Ekiti community had also contributed buildings and other facilities to support the institution.
He disclosed that TETFund had intervened in areas including hostel accommodation, office furniture, lecture theatres, laboratory and workshop equipment.
The Vice-Chancellor said FUTES had also begun incorporating renewable energy into its operations, with part of the institution already powered by solar energy.
He added that a 250-capacity ICT building with solar installation was under construction at the permanent site.
Highlighting the performance of the students during the session, Aribisala said two 100-level students distinguished themselves at a data analysis and visualisation competition.
He said a 100-level Mathematics student emerged second in the data analysis and visualisation category while competing against students from higher levels of other universities, while another 100-level Data Science student emerged first in the predictive modelling category.
He said four academic staff of the university had also been ranked among the top 500 researchers in Nigeria.
The Vice-Chancellor attributed the achievements to the quality of staff and students recruited by the university, noting that the institution had invested in continuous training and professional development.
He said staff had received training in quality assurance, strategic grant writing, interdisciplinary collaboration and academic culture, while security personnel had also undergone specialised training.
Aribisala said the university had fully implemented and cleared outstanding areas relating to the new salary structure for its academic and non-teaching staff.
He appealed to public-spirited individuals, organisations and corporate bodies to support the university’s development through donations and public-private partnerships.
He said the institution still required more faculty buildings, research equipment, teaching facilities, lecture theatres, hostels and buses.
The Vice-Chancellor said such partnerships would help FUTES realise its vision of becoming a globally recognised institution that would contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of Iyin-Ekiti, Ekiti State and Nigeria.
