By Elizabeth Oyeniwa
The Ondo State House of Assembly Committee on Tertiary Institutions on Tuesday held a public hearing on the Bill for the establishment of Rufus Giwa University of Agriculture, Science and Technology, Owo.
The hearing, held at the Mini Chamber of the Assembly Complex in Akure, drew stakeholders from the education sector, traditional rulers from Owo Local Government, representatives of the state government, and other interested groups.
Declaring the hearing open, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji, represented by the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Ololade Gbegudu, said the proposed university is a major step towards expanding access to specialised higher education and strengthening human capital development in the state.
He urged stakeholders to make robust contributions, stressing that their views and recommendations would help the House provide a sound legal and administrative framework for the institution.
Earlier, Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Chris Ayebusiwa, described the hearing as another historic stage in the process of establishing the university. He said the exercise was an opportunity for stakeholders to bring their knowledge and experience to bear in building a specialised institution that would serve Ondo State and beyond.
Ayebusiwa urged participants to freely present their ideas, criticisms and suggestions to enable the committee produce a bill that serves the best interest of the university and the state.
He attributed the initiative to the vision of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and commended him for pursuing the upgrade of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic to a university. He also thanked the Speaker, members of the House and all stakeholders for their support.
In his remarks, the Olowo of Owo, His Imperial Majesty, Oba (Dr.) Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III, commended the Assembly for its commitment to the development of the state.
The monarch thanked Governor Aiyedatiwa for initiating the upgrade, noting that while Rufus Giwa Polytechnic had contributed significantly to middle-level manpower development, declining student enrolment and changing societal needs had made the conversion timely and necessary.
Oba Ogunoye said the traditional institution and the people of Owo fully support the university and are confident that the Assembly will give the bill diligent consideration to make the institution a centre of excellence.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, hailed Governor Aiyedatiwa for his vision. He congratulated the Olowo, the people of Owo and the entire state, noting that the benefits of the upgrade would extend beyond the host community.
Ajibefun described the hearing as historic and addressed concerns over the nomenclature of the institution. According to him, the name — University of Agriculture, Science and Technology — is comprehensive and all-embracing.
He explained that Science covers medical and other science-related fields, while Technology covers engineering and other applied disciplines, with Agriculture interwoven with management and other programmes. He noted that specialised agriculture universities in Nigeria already run programmes beyond agriculture, and it was therefore not necessary to list every discipline in the name.
He assured that the name provides enough room for academic expansion and future growth.
Other lawmakers present at the hearing included Hon. Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi, Hon. Raymond Daodu, Hon. Tope Agbulu, Hon. Prophetess Morenike Witherspoon, Hon. Kolawole Ologede, Hon. Fatai Atere and Hon. Oluwatoyin Japhet, among others.
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