The Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, has appealed to the Federal Government to upgrade the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti into university status..
Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, made the call while receiving in his palace the 2021 Presidential Visitation Panel to the Polytechnic led by its Chairman, Chief John A. A. Ochoga.
The paramount ruler is concurrently the Chancellor of Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi and the Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Awka.
According to the first class traditional ruler, the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti has all it takes to be a Federal University in terms of infrastructural facilities, space and quality human resources.
He stressed that the polytechnic was a second-generation polytechnic that was obviously bigger and better than some of the existing universities in the country.
He said that apart from that the institution had all the qualifications required hence it deserved to be upgraded to a Federal University of Technology.
The qualifications for the upgrading, according to the traditional ruler include a large expanse of land for immediate and future development, existing educational structures and a conducive atmosphere.
“I can assure you that all these, among several other things necessary for the upgrading, exist in the institution.
“I, therefore, want to through this panel appeal to the Federal Government to upgrade its already existing polytechnic to a university status,” the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti said.
Earlier, the chairman of the visitation panel, Ochoga remarked that the purpose of the Panel’s visit was not for any witch-hunting inquisition, but to correct some of the ills in the system
Ochoga said that this was being done by interrogating issues that could prevent smooth operation of the Institution with the ‘Mantra’ suitable for all public organisations, “Let the system work”
This, he said, had become imperative to check some of the lapses in the system through interrogation of the issues militating against seamless governance of public Institutions, towards making it better for the good of all.
The Visitation Panel Chairman later handed over to the traditional ruler and members of the Ewi-in-Council, copies of the Panel’s Terms of Reference and called for Memoranda to facilitate delivery of the task of the panel.
He promised that whatever is contained in any of the memorandum received would be critically looked into and appropriate recommendations made to the President, who is the Visitor to the Polytechnic.
The chairman later handed over copies of the panel terms of reference, to the traditional ruler, calling for a Memorandum to facilitate the task of the panel.
Other members of the panel include Dr Elizabeth Shotayo, who is the secretary of the panel, Messrs Ali Galadima, Sam Daura, Ajewole Adeniyi, Alikali Kilo and Prof Veronica Mejabi.
President Muhammadu Buhari had constituted visitation panels to Federal Tertiary Institutions, including Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, whose members were inaugurated by the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu on April 12 with Nine Terms of Reference.
