The National Universities Commission, NUC has approved the upgrading of Ilesha College of Education to University of Ilesha and presented the official recognition letter to the Osun State government.
Following the passing of law by the Osun State House of Assembly in August, 2022 that the former College of Education should be upgraded to University of Ilesha, the NUC gave the approval yesterday, Thursday December 10.
The NUC secretary, Prof Abubakar Rasheed issued the recognition letter to the Osun state Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola making the University the 60th in the state and 220th in Nigeria.
Recall that the Osun state governor recently set up an 11-man committee to serve as a follow up to the upgrade of the college to University which is headed by Prof. olu Aina
While giving his speech, the NUC Executive appraised the governor for the action and added that Oyetola has been concerned about the establishment of University in his administration.
Abubakar reiterated that the University was put in the right place, with the right people.
The governor in his part said that his administration is concerned about making the University not to be a financial burden to the state.
He noted that education is the bedrock of socio-economic and political development of any state, adding that it will go along way to address the palpable deficit in University education in the state.
Speaking further, the governor said the University will help in training and equipping a diverse group of youths with professional skills, innovative insights and entrepreneurial ability in agri-business, mining and health.
He said, “The establishment of the University of Ilesa is necessitated by the massive gap between qualified candidates and available space in existing higher institutions within the State, as education remains the primary industry in Osun. The yearning is considerably insatiable, and as responsible leaders, we cannot ignore these needs.
“Our commitment is to contribute to developing the human resources needed to drive growth in Osun and Nigeria. Higher education worldwide is a veritable driver of human development, innovation, technological advancement, and resource exploration.
“The new University of Ilesa shall focus on Agriculture and Agri-business to address food insecurity; mining technology, building on the abundant gold deposit in Ijesaland; and Medical Sciences to enhance the human resource need in the health sector.
“We are very deliberate in our approach as we seek to contribute to the diversification of our economy and wean it away from over reliance on oil.
“In anticipation of the take off, we have identified credible candidates for the Governing Council and Principal Officers, ready to be appointed and hit the ground running.
“The outgoing College of Education facilities are more than sufficient to conveniently accommodate the University in the first phase of its development. We have made adequate provisions for the students of the College of Education to complete and better their careers as the life of the College of Education comes to an end.
“I wish to put on record the sincere appreciation of the Government and people of Osun to the National Universities Commission (NUC) for your cooperation and support in bringing the LAUTECH issue between Oyo and Osun states to a win-win close.
“We recall your promise to support the Government of Osun should it decide to set up another university. Today’s exercise opens a new chapter in this regard, and we look forward to continual support.
“Let me once again reiterate that the proposed university has been carefully conceived as a thoroughly entrepreneurial and innovative institution that would be funded through a mix of sources such as the government, community, industry, and other stakeholders without exerting unnecessary pressure on the finances of the State,” Oyetola added.
The people present includes; Former Osun governor, Chief Bisi Akande, Emeritus Prof. Olu Aina, Chief of Staff to Osun Governor, Dr. Charles Akinola, Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon. Timothy Owoeye etc.
