ONI BERATES TUNEDIK VC OVER CLAIMS ON CERTIFICATE WITHDRAWAL

Claim by the Vice Chancellor of the defunct University of Education,

Ikere-Ekiti (TUNEDIK), Prof. Akin Ogunlade that the Ikere community

had accepted the university before its operative certificate was

withdrawn by the National University Commission (NUC) has been

described as false.
Wale Ojo-Lanre, Chief Media Aide former governor, Engr. Segun Oni who

reacted to media report credited to Prof. Ogunlade that the university

certificate was “hurriedly submitted” to the NUC by the Oni-led

government and that the former governor acted to get back at the Ikere

community, said; “it belittles the status of man when he begins to

deliberately malign others just to get back his job.”

Ojo-Lanre, who described the VC's statement as mischievous, said;

Engr. Oni, whose brainchild is TUNEDIK would not have deliberately

truncated his own effort, adding that; “The whole world witnessed the

agitation of Ikere people against the university.”
He also described the State Government plan to establish a new

Institute of Science and Technology in the State as suspect, saying;

“Ekiti already have a University of Science and Technology and it will

amounts to wasteful spending for the government to embark on the

establishment of another Institute of Science and Technology which is

inferior to the existing university.”
“To put the records straight, TUNEDIK was established on January 20,

2008 as the 31st state university and the 92nd university in Nigeria.

The University formally took off on 16th May, 2008 as an upgrade of

the College of Education, Ikere Ekiti.
“The intention of government was that the College would be phased out

for the University because the NUC regulation of not allowing

universities to award NCE is clear and remains in force.

“However, some elites of Ikere, who were motivated by politics went to

town to sell the idea of a University being inferior to a College of

Education to the innocent indigenes, who then decided to take up arms

in protest to reject the University and opted that the College of

Education should remain as their preference. HRM Oba Adegoke Adegboye,

the Ogoga of Ikere was on Television to confirm this (Records are

available).
“While trying to resolve this logjam, in one of the numerous meetings

held with representatives of Ikere community, it was made clear that

the possibility of a College of Education and University at Ikere as

separate campuses is unrealistic since the NUC will not allow both

also as a single institution.
“The options available then was for a University of Education to be in

Ikere and the College of Education moves to another location in Ekiti

immediately or a College of Education in Ikere with an enhanced

capacity to award degrees with University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) as

some courses were already accredited for award of UNN degrees in the

College of Education.
“From actions and utterances of Ikere people, all of which were known

to the entire public, the people either wanted both the University and

College of Education, which negates NUC regulations or that the

College of Education should remain in the town.
“All these were known to the VC, who is now heaping the blame on the

withdrawal of university certificate on Engr. Oni, whose brainchild

was the establishment of the university in the first place,” Ojo-Lanre

said.
Speaking further, Ojo-Lanre, who described as a welcome development

any move by the state government to bring to fruition Engr. Oni's

dream of having a University of Education in Ikere said; “Engr. Oni is

pained that his dream of having the University of Education in Ikere

was thwarted by parochial party politics and he will definitely be

happy to see the university take-off as planned so that the students

that are already admitted can competed their education.”