The National University Commission (NUC) has approved the newly established University of Ilesa in Osun State as the 60th state-owned university and 220th in the Nigerian University system.
Mr Ismail Omipidan, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Gboyega Oyetola, made this known on Thursday in Osogbo.
Omipidan said that a letter of recognition of the university was presented to the governor by NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, in Abuja.
According to him, Oyetola, while receiving the letter, said the event had further laid credence to his commitment to upgrading the 44-year-old Osun State College of Education to a university.
The governor described education as the bedrock of the socioeconomic and political development.
Oyetola said that establishment of the university would go a long way to address the palpable deficit in university education, particularly in the state and beyond.
According to him, the university will further help to train and equip a diverse group of youths with professional skills, entrepreneurial ability and innovative insights, especially in agric-business, mining and health.
“The establishment of the University of Ilesa is necessitated by the massive gap between qualified candidates and available space in the 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.”
The governor said that in anticipation of the take off, the state government has 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,” he said.
Oyetola, however, said that establishment of the university would not in any way put unnecessary financial burden on the state.
According to him, the NUC Executive Secretary commended the governor for the initiative.
He said that establishment of the university remains one of the most important legacies of the governor.
Rasheed said the governor established the university in the “right place, with the right people.
“I am sure the people of Ilesa will not allow it to go under,” he said.
Oyetola had on March 31 announced the upgrading of the State College of Education, Ilesa, to a full-fledged university.
The governor subsequently signed the Bill upgrading the college to a University status into law on September 27.
