Fayemi recommends Ikole-Ekiti for varsity’s take-off

 
Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has  recommended Ikole Ekiti as take-off site, of the Federal University must open in January as being proposed.

The governor, who was on 60 minutes with Angela, a talk show on a Lagos private television station, MITV, was responding to the question on whether the state government would release Unity Secondary School, Oye- Ekiti as take-off site for the university to be co-hosted by Ikole and Oye-Ekiti in Ekiti North Senatorial District of the state.

Fayemi, who spoke on a wide range of issues in commemoration of his one-year in office, therefore, urged the Vice Chancellor, Professor Chinedu Nebo who earlier adjudged the facilities in Ikole-Ekiti adequate, to consider it as take-off site.

Although, the governor promised to provide facilities in Ado-Ekiti, if need be, however, he said that his administration does not subscribe to forcing students to vacate their schools for incoming ones. He cited the case of students of Egbeoba High School, Ikole-Ekiti, who were relocated to other schools in the locality to pave way for a Federal Government College, He stressed that such experience not only disrupts the students' studies, it also affects their psyche.

It was against that background that Fayemi advised the VC to look in the direction of Ikole which paraded facilities that could be converted easily for administrative and academic purposes.

Nevertheless, the governor restated government's co-hosting arrangement in resolving the logjam over the university site. According to him, Agriculture and Engineering faculties would be located in Ikole while Oye-Ekiti will host the Sciences and humanities. He wondered why the Federal Government did not give the state government the prerogative to choose the university town as it was obtained in other states that benefited from the gesture. Fayemi, who reiterated that the choice of Ikole was informed by his belief in even development of the state, said he could have recommended his village, as well, if he had wanted to be selfish.

The Ekiti State helmsman therefore, appealed to the natives not to reduce public institutions located in their domain to communal ownership, but considered themselves as trustees of the state for the sustenance of such institutions.