By Charles Abere
Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, has reiterated the commitment of his administration to making Ekiti State University a world-class institution by investing in infrastructure and digital tools that will make the learning environment conducive, accommodative and interesting.
The Governor, who made this known at the 27th convocation ceremony of the institution, said his government was pursuing a multi-pronged policy action that would allow schools in Ekiti from primary to tertiary, responsive to the demand of today and ensure that the products of the institutions can compete favourably with their counterparts from across the globe.
Oyebanji, who made history as the first alumnus of the University to become the State Governor and Visitor to the state- owned University, said his administration placed immense importance on human capital development and is irreducibly 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 and that the program targets 500 youths to be given laptops and other devices to facilitate their learning experience.
The Governor also informed the gathering that his administration had just secured the Federal Government approval for Ekiti Knowledge Zone to become a Free Trade Zone which was a critical requirement for the zone to get needed investment inflow for the development of the zone.
He stressed that Ekiti knowledge zone was a major infrastructure milestone for the Ekiti shared prosperity agenda which was conceived to be a digital innovation, technology and creativity hub. He added that it is an idea and innovation ecosystem where highly talented young people could unleash their energy in productive enterprise.
While restating his administration’s commitment to quality education, the Governor said his government has sustained the provision of bursary by giving support of 22.3 million Naira to all qualified undergraduates and postgraduate students of Ekiti origin last year alone and that he would continue to do his best to ensure that the young ones have meaningful future through access to affordable education.
The Governor, who urged the Council and 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.
Governor Oyebanji congratulated the graduands and charged them to take the advantage of the trainings and learning they have acquired to contribute their quota to humanity.
“As a government, our administration places an immense importance on human capital development. Our government is irreducibly committed to job creation, youths and human capital development, to underscore this out of the six pillars of our administration, youth empowerment and human capital development occupy number two and three respectively.
“As part of efforts to achieve this, I recently launched the Ekiti Digital Skill Academy in February this year with the distribution of laptops to 100 youths as part of our move to upscale digital education for job creation and the programme targets 500 youths to be given laptops and other devices to facilitate their learning experience.
“Similarly, we just secured the Federal Government’s approval for Ekiti Knowledge Zone to become a Free Trade Zone. This is critical requirement for the zone to get the needed investment inflow for the development of the zone. For us EKZ is conceived to be a digital innovation, technology and creative hub.
Earlier, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, Prof. Akin Oyebode who commended the Governor 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 and 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 had helped in repositioning the university as one of the high-ranking institutions internationally.
Oyebode, a Professor of Jurisprudence and a former Vice Chancellor of the University 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 as he also enjoined the graduands to start thinking of what they could contribute to their alma mater to elevate its standards.
Also, in his remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Edward Olanipekun announced some of the achievements of the University to include securing accreditation for 81 regular programmes by the National Universities Commission with another eight programmes having interim accreditation.
Prof. Olanipekun added that the University also made successes in the area of ICT infrastructure noting that the institution was now 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.
At the event were the Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olubunmi Adelugba; Secretary to the state Government, Dr Habibat Adubiaro, members of the Governing Council, members of the state executive council; Chairman, Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers and Onisan of Isan Ekiti, Oba Gabriel Adejuwon; Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics), Prof. J.B Ayodele and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Development), Prof. Raphael Adeleke among others.
