Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State
has affirmed that tertiary institutions in the state charged the
cheapest tuition fees in the country.
The Governor made the affirmation in Akungba on Friday during the
commissioning of the newly built Adekunle Ajasin University’s Senate
Building which he described as “another of our legacy projects, which
has become our trademark in laying a sustainable foundation for the
development of our State".
He added that the building "also signpost the history of our past,
document the records of our present and provide illumination for our
future”.
Mimiko was also bestowed with the education icon award of the National
Association of Nigerian Students Zone D, South West Nigeria.
He noted that his administration would not relent in moving the state
to the next level of sustainable development in all sectors, stressing
that the provision of quality education for the citizenry assumed a
matter of great concern for the administration within the context of the
socio-economic environment.
He commended Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Femi Mimiko and
the immediate past chairman and members of the university's governing
council, headed by Mr. Dan Nwanyanwu for their vision and contributions
to the transformation of the university.
According to Dr Mimiko, the construction of the four -winged, five
storey complex Senate Building located on 12 hectares of land commenced
on March 7 2012, and it was completely funded by the Ondo State
government.
As an active participant in the government and politics of the state
for more than three decades, Dr Mimiko identified infrastructural decay
as a major challenge confronting tertiary and other institutions across
the country, noting that his administration had continued to tackle the
challenge in all the state-owned institutions.
He expressed delight that the huge investment of his administration in
tertiary education had continued to yield results and attracted
recognition from within and outside the country as the United States
Transparency International Standards (USTIS) recently declared the
Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko as the best State-owned
university in Nigeria and Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, was also adjudged
the best State Polytechnic in Nigeria.
He added that all the courses of the State owned University of Science and technology Okitipupa had been accredited.
He noted that admission into the university in the last five years had
been merit based as a law graduate of the university emerged the best
law graduate in Nigeria this year, stressing the university had run an
uninterrupted academic calendar in the last five years.
"We have done everything within our reach to help assuage the private
cost of education and to also rekindle the hope of our kids on a
government that has orientation for service. That perhaps, is
responsible for the fact that the regime of fees in all Ondo State owned
Tertiary Institutions is arguably one of the cheapest in Nigeria".
"We have tried to restructure the education sector of Ondo State and
placed it on a sustainable platform within the limits of available
resources. We have set targets and we have deliberately democratised
access to education based on our conviction that if our education is
meant for just a few, the consequences of the unenlightened society that
could emerge would be disastrous for all and sundry".
In his welcome address, the Professor Mimiko disclosed that the
building, which was one of the best Senate Buildings globally had seven
staircases, three elevators, 148 offices, 165 conveniences, 10
boardrooms, two conference halls, a banquet hall, and a two-room living
apartment.
He stressed further that the Senate and Council Chambers located on the
fourth floor have a seating capacity of 184 and 50 respectively, adding
that, the building had an open Piazza that can take some 2,500 people
at a time, and parking lots that could accommodate 110 regular vehicles.
He said the project which was completed in June 2014 "is an iconic
building which stands as the testimonial to the Governor Mimiko's
government's commitment to education”.
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