Members of the newly constituted Governing Council of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, have been charged to improve on the relationship between the “town and the gown”.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, gave the charge while the council, led by its Chairman, Dr Yemi Ogunbiyi, paid him a courtesy visit in his palace on Tuesday.
The Oba said that the ancient town of Ile-Ife yearns to feel more of the presence of the school, especially in the area of providing food security.
“The town can be impacted by the school using the natural resources God had endowed it with to create employment among the teeming youths and bringing about food security in the community,” he said.
The monarch said he had observed a spiritual attachment between the institution and the palace, explaining that anytime crises erupted on the campus, such were always settled in the palace.
He described the chairman of the governing council as a man he personally respected for his easy going lifestyle, administrative competence and charisma.
The Oba also appreciated the efforts of the acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Anthony Elujoba, saying it is awesome how he (Elujoba) took it upon himself to bring back peace to the university.
He commended the interim management team of the institution for a job well done and pledged his support in making the dream of the founding fathers of university come to reality.
Ogunbiyi appreciated the Ooni for his past fatherly interventions in the university, and promised that his team would give all it takes to justify their appointment.
He described the council members as men competent enough to do the job; men ready to assiduously work towards resolving all issues hindering the progress of the university.
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