Oyebanji Harps On Competitiveness Among State Institutions

Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji has stressed the need for competitiveness among the state-owned institutions within the national and global education landscape.

He also called on the management of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti and other tertiary institutions of learning in the state to justify the recent increment in government subvention to them through tangible outcomes.

In a bid to ameliorate the financial challenges confronting the university, the state government had increased the subvention of the university from N260 million to N410 million monthly, while other state owned institutions also got different increments.

Governor Oyebanji who spoke at an event, where he was honoured as one of the distinguished alumni of Ekiti State University (EKSU), organised by the institution’s management in partnership with the alumni association, saidt his administration’s decision to effect a major increase in subventions to EKSU and other institutions was to ensure significant improvement in their activities.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the prevailing situation in the state-owned institutions, particularly in EKSU, Governor Oyebanji urged the university management to introspect and rectify existing errors, and restore the institution’s erstwhile dignity, values, and esteemed reputation.

The governor charged the university management to leverage the expertise of appointed dignitaries such as the chancellor, pro chancellor, and council members to harness resources effectively, elevate the stature of the institution and ultimately make the state proud of its investments in the educational sector.

While appreciating the award given him by EKSU management, Governor Oyebanji said genuine transformation could only be demonstrated through substantive and practical changes in the performance of both management and union leaders, whose attitude significantly influenced the fate of numerous students.

Earlier, the pro chancellor of EKSU, Prof. Akin Oyebode, commended Oyebanji’s proactive approach towards addressing structural and infrastructural challenges within the institution.