Reps okay Bill to name Federal University Oye-Ekiti after late Gen. Adebayo to second reading

The House of Representatives, on Tuesday, passed the bill seeking to rename the Federal University Oye-Ekiti as Adeyinka Adebayo Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) for second reading.

The bill was cosponsored by Hon. Kehinde Agboola and Ayodele Oladimeji, respectively

Moving the motion at a plenary on Tuesday which was presided over by the Speaker, HonYakubu Dogara, Hon Agboola, who represents Ikole/Oye Federal Constituency of Ekiti State , said the effort could not have come at a better time.

The lawmaker stated that the move became necessary in order to ensure that the late General Adeyinka Adebayo’s name was immortalised

The late General Adebayo, who was a former Military Governor of defunct Western State and first Chief of Army Staff, died on March 8, 2017.

According to Hon Agboola, during the funeral service at All Saints Anglican Church , Iyin Ekiti, Ekiti state,on May 20, 2017, the then acting President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, announced the decision to rename FUOYE after General Adeyinka Adebayo.

He said the bill titled as ”an Act to Amend the Federal University Oye-Ekiti” was sponsored to ensure that the name of the national leader did not go into oblivion.

According to him, “‘We are agitating that our national leader’s name, who happened to also come from Ekiti, the late General Adeyinka Adebayo, who is from Iyin-Ekiti, Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area of Ekiti, is immortalised.

”We don’t want a repeat of what happened in UNILAG’s case where executive made a pronouncement to name it after the late Chief M K O Abiola and it was not implemented.

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”So it behoves on us who are representing the people of the state, who know the contribution of the late Adebayo, to make case about it,” he declared.

Earlier, the co-sponsor, Hon Oladimeji, corroborated at the floor of the House that the bill was very critical looking at the contribution of the late Adebayo to national development.

The Speaker, Hon Dogara, then put the motion on a voice vote and the lawmakers unanimously adopted it.

Dogara, however, referred the bill to the Committee on Tertiary Education Services for further legislative action.

In another development, a Bill for an Act to Establish the Chartered Institute of Mediators and Conciliators of Nigeria also scaled second reading.

The bill, which had passed through the Senate’s drill, was presented by the Deputy Majority Leader, Rep Ahmed Wase (APC-Plateau).

The bill seeks to determine what standard of knowledge and skills to be attained by persons seeking to become registered members of the mediation and conciliation profession.