ACE to regain University status soon ―Provost

PROVOST of the Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo State, Prof Olukoya Oven, on Wednesday said plan had reached an advanced stage to upgrade the institution to a university by the Federal Government.

Ogen who stated this while paying a courtesy visit to Correspondents’ Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ondo State Council, said the bill to upgrade the status of the school to a university had reached a final stage at the National Assembly.

He expressed optimism that the bill would scale through to the final stage saying he had been invited to the floor of the National Assembly to defend the bill and “just waiting for the reversal of the institution’s status to a university”.

Ogen, who was represented by Mrs Oluseto Olatuyi, said the College deserved to be upgraded saying students from the school had made their mark in the various field of life across the globe.

According to him, the college has since been operating at the university level in term of learning modules, research, thereby competing with other universities’ programmes.

He said “The bill is at the last stage at Senate and we pray that it will have Mr President’s (Muhammadu Buhari) mercy for assent when finally passed.

“If attained the level, our responsibilities will be increased and we are up to the task.”

Speaking on the welfare and security of students of the institution, the provost said adequate measures had been put in place to ensure the safety of the students and to forestall breach of securing peace in and around the campus.

He disclosed that the college had installed Close Circuit Television (CCTV) in strategic locations in the campus as part of security measure, maintaining that all the students had been issued mandatory identity cards to identify the authentic students of the institution.

He, however solicited for better and improved relationship with the chapel, noting that the union remains a major stakeholder in information management.

“We are primarily here to seek your support and improved relationship in any area that you can be of help to our college as it relates to information dissemination and development of the school,” he stated

Responding, the chapel’s chairman, commended the provost, noting that the institution has put round peg in a round hole.