Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji on Thursday inaugurated chairmen and members of the Governing Councils of three state owned higher institutions with a charge to them to develop a rescue agenda to reposition the institutions to enviable heights.
Inaugurating the councils at the Conference Hall of the Governor’s Office, Ado-Ekiti Governor Oyebanji urged the newly inaugurated council members to enhance educational performance and functionality of the institutions by attracting endowment funds from outside the universities as government could not fully fund higher institutions.
The Governor said universities were expected to be repository of knowledge, invention, innovation and talents, adding that higher institutions in the state should not be ledt out.
Among those inaugurated were a former Vice Chancellor of University of Ado-Ekiti now Ekiti State University, Professor Akin Oyebode as the Chairman/Pro Chancellor of EKSU, Ado-Ekiti; former Vice Chancellor of EKSU, Prof. Dipo Aina as the Chairman/Pro Chancellor of Bamidele Olumilua University of Science and Technology, Ikere Ekiti and Dr Adedamola Dada as Chairman of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti.
The Governor, who is also the visitor to the three institutions stated that the council members, were all selected based on their track records, to be part of Ekiti prosperity agenda because of the abiding confidence in their character, competence and courage to act rightly with a proven pedigree of professional distinction and evident achievements in their various endeavors among others.
Governor Oyebanji, who noted that the institutions were already faced with myriad of challenges, expressed confidence that with the array of the members of the councils, the institutions would return to its pride of place among Nigeria and World universities.
He therefore charged the councils members to work assiduously and in tandem with management and other stakeholders to chart a way forward on how to end academic dents in the institutions.
While congratulating the council members on their new appointment, the Governor appealed to various stakeholders in the state to come up with way forward on how to attract and retain the best in our universities and develop a blueprint on how to make the institutions self-sustaining, competitive and of first choice.
“Ladies and gentlemen, as we inaugurate the various Councils today, it is important I reiterate the fact that we are still faced with a myriad of challenges in the education sector, particularly in our higher institutions of learning. The Councils of our universities must therefore work assiduously with the management and other stakeholders to forge a way forward on how to end academic instability, students restiveness, unpaid salaries, bureaucratic slackness that makes it impossible to get certificate and transcript ready on time and a whole lot of problems that continue to confront the development of the institutions.
“You have been carefully headhunted to be part of our Ekiti prosperity agenda because of our abiding confidence in your character, competence and courage to act rightly and cause a progressive change in the life of the institutions under your care. All of you are coming from a proven pedigree of professional distinction and evident achievement in your various endeavours. We are grateful to you for your willingness to commit your time and resource to the development our State.
“I urge the Council and the management to come up with a rescue agenda on how to reposition the institutions to an enviable height. In the world of today, where new generation universities are giving the older ones a run for their money, our universities must strive to be on top of the league in research, endowment and training of globally competitive students.” He said.
Professor Akin Oyebode, the Pro-chancellor and Council Chairman of Ekiti State University, who spoke on behalf of the council members, thanked the Governor for the opportunity to serve and for the confidence reposed in them to reposition the universities to its pride of place among Universities in Nigeria.
Professor Oyebode, who noted that Ekiti people were known throughout the country for education prowess, assured the Governor that the council members would work assiduously to bring back the lost glory of the universities.
Also at the event were the Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Hakeem Jamiu, Secretary to the state Government, Dr Habibat Adubiaro, Head of Service, Barr. Bamidele Agbede, members of the state executive council, traditional rulers among others.