FUOYENews Publication March 2020 Edition →→DOWNLOAD
Soremekun explains why FUOYE is establishing Law Faculty
By Godfred Bakji and Adedeji Badejo
The Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) is establishing the Faculty of Law to further deepen access to the legal profession and remove any danger of exclusiveness people may erroneously have about the programme.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Kayode Soremekun made this revelation while receiving the accreditation team for the programme from Council of Legal Education (CLE) led by its Director General Professor Isa HayatuCiroma SAN on Tuesday February 25, 2020.
Some prominent legal icons have asked me why we want to start law again in Ekiti knowing that Ekiti State University (EKSU) and AfeBabalola University (ABUAD) are already established center of training in the state.
“We want to serve that poor village boy and girl who cannot access such training in those place and deepen the penetration of legal training not only for Ekiti people but across the federation and increase accessibility to the finest legal training that Nigeria can provide”, the Vice-Chancellor said noting that we must remove any air exclusivity in Nigerian society.
”I don’t take this moment lightly at all.
We are meeting with people who will help us midwife the Faculty of law in this University. The gods and goodness of legal training in Nigeria”
Noting that since Nigeria Universities Commission (NUC) had visited the campus and gave its nod for the University to start its law programmes, many people advised him to start but Professor Soremekun say he still decided to tarry.
“My main concern is that you bring in students and there is an air of uncertainty. NUC has approved, yes, but CLE has not, that why we have been waiting, praying earnestly for this day”, he said.
Many of us don’t have the privileges being offered by private universities. The older generations went through trying times along with their parents to nurse, nurture and train us. Many people are still where we were for five decades ago and need society’s help and opportunities that older generation had.
Earlier the Director General had recalled previous efforts to bring him to the campus saying for more than a year now people from FUOYE and the law school had been putting pressures on him to visit the institution and see ongoing preparation for the takeoff of the law programme.
“Now is the right time” the professor of law said describing the job during the visit basically resource verification. “We will go round, interact, observe and advise as required” he stressed. “We want the best for our profession. I have seen these faces {referring to lecturers at the Faculty) somewhere. At the end of the visit, we will tell you our findings. We will look at the offices, the classrooms the libraries etc”. There are almost 50 faculties of law in Nigeria each with its own peculiarities. We won’t compromise our standards because we want the best for our profession, he stressed again.
The Director General came in with Mr. Ibrahim Sanni Mohammed (SAN) who is the President of Council of Attorney Generals in Nigeria and Attorney General of Ekiti State; Mr. Aminu Gadanya who is the representative of Nigerian Bar Association {NBA} who is representing Learned Authors; Mrs. Elizabeth Max-Uba who is a Director at Council of Legal Education (CLE); Mrs. Olayinka Tuyo who is a Librarian at the Law School and Mr. Beripsiri Yohanna who is the Secretary of the team.
FUOYE admits 7,500 students, set for matriculation March 20th
By Okafor Chinedu and Eleniola Bamidele
No fewer than seven thousand five hundred (7500) new students has been admitted by Federal University Oye Ekiti for the 2019/2020 academic session even as the school plans matriculation of these new students for Friday March 20, 2020.
This was disclosed by the Vice-chancellor of the university, Professor Kayode Soremekun while declaring open a three day Orientation Programme organised for the newly admitted students on Wednesday February 19, 2020 at the Faculty of Science New Lecture Hall.
The Vice Chancellor, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Professor Abayomi Sunday Fasina expressed joy at the huge turnout of students for the orientation programme promising that the university administration would ensure that the students are exposed to the best facilities and learning practices available.
“I can assure you that we are going to give you the best in terms of facility, teaching and every other thing that facilitates learning”. I want to tell you that, as a University, we are just nine years old and we have achieved so much within a space of nine years. We are the fastest growing university among the eleven Federal Universities established by the Federal Government in 2011” he said.
“When you compare us with other Universities that has just been established, we have the largest faculties, which is about nine(9) in number, we have Postgraduate School and we are set to take off with the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Pharmacy. Not only that we are preparing as well to add Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences and Faculty of Environmental Sciences soon”, he further disclosed.
Professor Soremekun lieutenant also stressed on the need for the newly admitted students to promptly pay their school fees noting that failure to comply within the stipulated time may rob them off of their studentship.
In his words, “Matriculation is coming up on the March 20, 2020 and the date is sacrosanct. If you have not paid your school fees, you cannot matriculate and you cannot defer your admission. If you have not completed your registration, I want to appeal to you to pay your school fees”.
“As a student of this university, we don’t want problems, if there are issues that are confronting you, you can channel it to the Dean of Student Affairs or through the Students Union Government and we can also discuss with a view to reaching an agreement. I pray that the Lord will be with you during your stay in this university” the DVC said.
In his goodwill message, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) Professor Johnson Olusola Ojo, congratulated the newly admitted students into the university. “ You are very lucky and fortunate to be part of today’s celebration, if you know the statistical number of candidates who put in for admission into FUOYE, Over 43,000 applied to study here and only 7,500 made it, so you are extremely lucky to be here” he said.
The DVC noted that orientation programme is a university tradition where new students get oriented on the dos and don’ts of the university rules and regulations. He further emphasised that the university has zero tolerance for misconducts such as exam malpractices, cultism, and the likes.
The Chairman, Committee of Deans who is also the Dean, Faculty of Management Sciences, Professor Patrick Olajide Oladele in his own message to the new students, differentiated the difference between being a student of FUOYE and being a student at FUOYE.
In his words, “Not everybody you see on campus roaming about are students of FUOYE, we have students who have failed to meet their obligations in terms of meeting up with their registration requirements and payment of school fees and they are roaming about the campus, even their parents might not know and they will be wandering about from 100 to 400 level. When it is time to go for National Youth Service (NYSC), it becomes a problem for them”.
He noted that Faculties strive to integrate students into writing professional examination such that they would have become professionals by the time of their graduation from the university. “We have three students in Accounting department now who are in 300Level and also at the final lap of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) Examination. The meaning is that before they graduate next year, we will be producing chartered accountants that will be going for National Youth Service Corps”, Oladele said.
Also speaking at the 9th Orientation programme, the University Acting Registrar, Mr. Mufutau Ibrahim who was represented by the Principal Assistant Registrar (Academic Affair Office), Mr. Tope Ademiloye charged the students to set personal goals that build on their already achieved goal of gaining admission.
Reading from a paper entitled, “Vision and Mission of the University”, Mr Ademiloye stressed that students must key into the ultimate corporate vision of the university if they are to make anything good during their academic sojourn in the university.
The University Bursar, Mrs. Bolatito Akande in her message to the students, admonished them to remain focused. “You are privileged to be here and God will see you through. I want to urge you all to choose a path that will make the journey of four or five years faster and not like a journey of the Israelites in the wilderness”, she said.
Earlier, in a welcome address, the Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Dosu Malomo urged the students to make their stay in the university a worthwhile experience adding that they were privileged to have gained admission into one of the Nigerian best Universities.
Dr. Malomo also disclosed that this year’s orientation programme is a slight deviation from the norm in the sense that it bordered more on Students Support Services. According to him, the Student Support Services are those units which may not have direct impact in instilling knowledge, but however, play important roles in the facilitation of the learning process.
These Units according to him include; Security, Medical Services, Student Union Government, Sports, Counselling etc. He stressed that when those units played their complementary roles efficiently, the students would be better off while learning.
“Recently, the university sent Director, Guidance and Counseling, Dr Kemi Omole and I to London to attend an International Student Support Services Tour to five British Universities. The importance of this tour is to enable the university improve on its student support services and just a few months back, the National Universities Commission (NUC) were on campus to accredit Student Support Services in the University”, he said.
FUOYE Engineers don’t owe licensing fees, says Accreditation Team Leader
By Chinedu Okafor and Bamidele Eleniola
Federal University Oye Ekiti (FUOYE) Engineers are 99% compliant in payment of professional fees, dues and licensing fees.
This was disclosed by the Leader of Accreditation Team of Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Engr Baba Alkali on Wednesday February 26, 2020 while presenting his team’s findings after a thorough inspection facilities and interactions with staff and students of the Faculty of Engineering at the university.
Engr Alkali who is a Council Member of COREN led another ten professionals and professors to identify the strength of the FUOYE Engineering programmes and listed them as: Staffing, Staff Development, Compliance with payment of professional fees, libraries, books, etc.
“We noticed the highly committed and competent lecturers and technical staff, he stated and added that “we observed that the staff development scheme particularly in sponsorship to acquire higher degree is in place”.
Speaking further, he said “Compliance with payment of COREN annual licensing fees was rated 99% as at our last visit and you also now have university, faculty and departmental libraries that are adequate in number, spread and of good quality”.
The COREN Official also said the staff student ratio is excellent and the number of laboratories available to students commendable. He however wants the university to purchase more modern teaching aids like smart boards, public address systems and improve sanitation of students’ conveniences and ask for more technologists to handle the laboratories.
He decried the general outcry by employers of labour on persistent skills shortage where academically sound engineering graduates are unable to express practical functionality on their jobs. "There is a large disconnect between what is taught and that which is expected of engineering graduates on the field", he said disclosing that COREN, in response, has adopted the Outcome Based Education (OBE) Engineering program.
OBE, according to him, is a necessary benchmark for minimum academic standards and accreditation scoring criteria for undergraduate Engineering programs in Nigeria. He encouraged the university to key into OBE.
In his words, "The adoption of the OBE will make Nigerian engineering qualifications internationally acceptable and improve the quality, efficiency and global mobility of our engineers" noting that COREN is also interested in creating conducive platforms to enhance the collaboration between academia and industry through Train the Trainer programmes, course curriculum review, Internship for students, technology updates and research projects under the auspices of the Committee of Deans' of Engineering and Technology (CODET) of Nigerian Universities.
Responding, Vice Chancellor, Prof. Kayode Soremekun expressed profound appreciation to the visiting officials while reiterating the peculiarity associated with the growing University as the only one among its contemporaries which now offers engineering courses.
He also appreciated the doggedness of his predecessor, Professor. Chinedu Nebo for his unflinching resolve in starting off the Faculty of Engineering at a time the university was just starting to find its bearing.
The university administrator noted that the challenges of running an Engineering faculty has its cost implication which was predominantly a gigantic venture decrying the major constraint of funding encountered by Universities in Nigeria.
"Despite our young age, the students from the Faculty of Engineering of our university clinched top position in the last competition organised by Committee of Deans' of Engineering and Technology (CODET) of Nigerian Universities".
He pointed that there is a bridge between the theoretical aspect of engineering and the policy world such that engineering has no visible impact in the quality of our indigenous production.
FUOYE admits 880 students for pre-degree, says Akindola
By Sesan Adeleke and Olaiya Arise
About 880 Students have been admitted into Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) Pre- Degree programme.
This was disclosed on Wednesday, February 12, 2020 by the Ag. Director Pre-Degree, Dr. Rufus Akindola while conducting the students 2019/2020 orientation programme at Faculty of Science Lecture Theatre.
Dr. Akindola said, “This time 4 years ago, we were very small, but this session, we have admitted 880 students into this programme and many more are coming.”
He added that “pre-degree is prerequisite for you to gain admission into the university but not automatic if you failed to study hard to get the required score to secure your admission”
The Royal Father of the day, His Royal Highness Oba David Makanjuola Ajaja (Ph.D), The Owatapa of Itapa in His goodwill message appreciates the university management for the establishment of Pre-Degree Centre in his community.
He showered encomium on the Ag. Director Pre-Degree, Dr. Rufus Akindola for his generosity, kindness and his humane character referring to him as “this Man of God”.
The Royal Father however charged the new Pre-Degree students to read as if there is no tomorrow in order to being among the best.
Also at the event, the Chief Security Officer of the University, Mr. Paul Ogidi said. Cultism activities involve frequent violence, regular loss of lives and armed robbery. Due to these malpractices, anywhere cultists are, there are always fear, anxiety and instability”
Mr Ogidi further said that factors attracting students to secret society are quest for power, poor parental training, revenge, emotional instability, loneliness, political pressure from outside and low esteem”
The Security Chief also emphasized on the consequences of cultism. In his words; “Cultism can lead to untimely death and it can also lead to armed robbery and once you are caught in the act, automatically, your studentship would be withdrawn”
The Principal Assistant Registrar assigned to Pre-Degree Programme, Mr. Sunday Akinkunmi speaks extensively on the need to know about Pre-Degree Programme. “This is very essential and foundational. It’s obvious that today we have about 2 million students seeking for admission just within an academic session. Our core duties are to train, to coach students who are aspiring to gain admission into higher institution to perform excellently well”, he said.
”Pre-degree is not a license for you to secure automatic admission into the university. There are basic requirements you must meet before you can gain admission into 100 level.
Basically, you must register for Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) exams before you could be admitted. Even if you pass JAMB, you must also pass our Internal Examinations both for first and for second semester because the accumulation of your results would determine your admission into the university” he further stressed.
The Principal Assistant Registrar (Academic Affairs Office) Mr. Tope Ademiloye said, “Cut off marks released by JAMB last years are not all you need to gain admission into any university. Each course and programme has other cut off marks and requirements that admission seekers must have”.
He urged the students not to rely on the national benchmarks alone “because that might deny you of your desire course then you have to apply for change of course to gain admission”.
Foundation Awards Tuition Scholarship to Seven FUOYE students
By Adedeji Badejo and Bunmi Dada
An American based foundation, SEYEM08 foundation, led by a Nigerian Philanthropist, Mr Oluwaseyi Adedoja has awarded tuition scholarship worth various sums between N30,000-48,000 each to seven students of Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE).
Mr Oluwaseyi Adedoja, who was represented by his brother, Mr Olayemi Adedoja made the cash presentation in a short ceremony at Bursar’s Office on Thursday February 20, 2020.
Delivering the cash to the University Bursar, Mrs Bolatito Roseline Akande, Mr Olayemi Adedoja explained that the scholarship, which is a yearly exercise, is an initiative of a Computer Engineer, his brother, Mr. Oluwaseyi Adedoja and is opened to every 200Level student in FUOYE.The selection process involve the Office of Students Affairs and it cut across all faculties of the institution.
In her remark, the Bursar Mrs. Bolatito R Akande commended the foundation for this efforts towards the assisting the indigent students in the university. She also enjoined benefiting students to put in their best in their studies urging the foundation not to relent in its efforts to create equal opportunities for indigent students irrespective of gender or creed.
The Acting Dean, Student Affairs Division, Dr. Dosu Malomo in his words commended the foundation for the scholarship and that the selection process of the 7 indigent students was thorough. He also charged the beneficiaries to reciprocate the gesture of the foundation by concentrating on their studies.
The total sum of N294, 000 (two hundred and Ninety-Four Thousand naira only) in cash representing the tuition fees for the selected students was presented at the occasion.
PG School matriculation, now on Friday March 6th
The Federal University Oye Ekiti (FUOYE) Post Graduate matriculation ceremony will now hold on Friday March 6, 2020 instead of Friday February 28, 2020 earlier announced.
According to a memo from the Secretary of the Post Graduate School, Mr Dairo Fatuase, the shift in date is unavoidable “ All other information as contained in the earlier invitation remains valid” he said.
NOTICE
Registry
CONDUCT OF YEAR 2020 NATIONAL SECRETARIAL EXAMINATION
This is to inform all staff on Confidential Secretary Cadre of the University Community that the Staff Development Centre, Office of Capacity Development and Reforms, Office of Head of Service, Ekiti State, will be conducting the June 2020 edition of the National Secretarial Examination.
The Examination will be conducted as follows:
i. Advanced National Diploma (ANDSS), HND Equivalent
ii. Intermediate National Diploma (INDSS) ND Equivalent
iii. Basic National Diploma (BNDSS).
Interested staff should contact the Principal, Staff Development Centre, Office of Capacity Development and Reforms, opposite Ekiti House of Assembly Service Commission, Ado-Ekiti, for further enquiries.
Signed
Mr A. Oloniniyi
Assistant Registrar
Elabor buries father March 27th
The father of a staff at Bursary department, who is also the head of Central Store of Federal University Oye Ekiti, (FUOYE), Mr.Godwin Odalo Elabor has passed on. The burial is slated for Friday March 27, 2020.
According to an invitation card made available to FUOYENews, the service of songs will be held on Thursday March 26 2020, at his family compound at 47 Central Road Eguare Ubiaja, Edo State.
This will be followed by an interdenominational burial service on Friday March 27, 2020 at 7:00am at the same venue. Reception follows immediately.
Interested members of staff who want to be part of this occasion are advised to reach out to Mrs. Adedokun Adefunke of Revenue Unit, Bursary Department on Phone Number 08035247470.
A staff bus that will convey staff to the occasion will take off by 7:00 am on March 27, 2020 at Fajuyi Park, Ado Ekiti.
FUOYE: Giant strides of a man with culture of excellence
By WOLE BALOGUN
Recently, members of the Governing Council of our great University, the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) embarked on an inspection of the various enviable projects that now dotted the landscape of the twin campuses of Oye and Ikole respectively.
The distinguished gentlemen and ladies comprised the representatives of the Federal Government of Nigeria in the Council and the representatives of the Federal Ministry of Education in the persons of Mr. Sabo Inuwa, and Mr. Abdullahi Jibrin respectively, among many others. There were also top management functionaries of the University, Principal Officers, Deans and Directors as well as some senior lecturers and newsmen.
The Vice-Chancellor, (VC) Professor Kayode Soremekun and his deputies in charge of Administration and Academic, i.e Professor Abayomi Fasina and Ekiti born Prof. Sola Ojo respectively, led the inspection team that went round the twin campuses to assess the level of infrastructural development.
FUOYE's Director of Physical Planning Unit (PPU) served as the projects inspection tour guide and introduced the various projects to these assessors one after the other, revealing when construction or rehabilitation began, when they were completed or projected to be completed as well as what purposes they are to serve among others.
Indeed, without mincing words, it was an exciting tour for the team who expressed deep appreciation and satisfaction over the level of infrastructural development the current Soremekun led Management of the University has achieved in the past four years.
As the Vice Chancellor recalled, there were 47 projects already completed, of which some were inherited as abandoned projects from his predecessors, while many others were started and already completed by the current administration. Some others are currently on going, and yet others are still being proposed for construction!
The inspection teams were awed with such outstanding projects as the new roads network which now serve as links for places hitherto inaccessible for students on the twin campuses. Such roads include the central road linking the phases one, two and three parts of the Oye campus which was tarred recently.
The abandoned projects now completed by the Soremekun administration include the Central Administration Building, the Library and some others.
Those started by the current administration and already completed included the utra-modern faculty of Pharmacy building, ultra-modern faculty of Agriculture, the well equipped media studio facility for students of Mass Communication, the ultra-modern faculty of Basic Medical sciences, faculty of Management sciences complex and academic building for the faculty of sciences among others.
Determined to do more, the VC listed some other projects he would be embarking on and which would be completed before the end of his five-year tenure on February, 2021. They include the on going road construction scheduled to be completed by end of February, 2020, and a new Faculty of Arts complex among others.
Flashback to four years ago, FUOYE didn't have the number of students' population, (almost 20,000) she now has. The University could not boast of having the peaceful academic environment, smooth running and stable academic calendar she now enjoys as it was almost a one-week, one trouble saga where angry staff unions used to stage weekly protests and disrupt academic and business activities on the twin campuses. It could not also boast of having up to seven faculties which it now has with the recent addition of faculties of Pharmacy, Management sciences, Basic sciences, Law and Environmental studies, all of which were made possible by the current administration.
Over fours ago, FUOYE could not boast of having 50 percent of the infrastructural and learning facilities she now enjoys in terms of well constructed classrooms, offices, faculty buildings, sports complex, power supply, hostel accommodation and other social amenities. The University didn't have her own independent Information and Technology (ICT) unit and could not operate an independent website until Soremekun came on board, neither was the University connected to the national grid for adequate supply of electricity on the twin campuses until the current administration came on board.
What is more? , there have been tremendous records of academic successes on the part of both FUOYE students and many members of the academic and administrative staff courtesy of the current tenure of Prof. Soremekun.
For the records, FUOYE has won several national and international awards on academic feats. These included the recent African Drum festival of 2019 where the University's Department of Theatre and Media Arts clinched the third position within their maiden participation in the contest, and other contests in Engineering, Food technology, agriculture, soil science, Mechatronics and others.
The staff welfare have been well taken care of by the current administration such that staff members no longer have cause to grumble and resolve to incessant militant unionism while performing their duties; a recent subtle move in payment of some token as special allowances testify to this assertion.
The University Management has opened up several windows for academic activities which have further provided huge economic benefits, these included the just commenced Distance Learning programmes, On line educational programmes, and Top Up programmes for the Polytechnics in some parts of the country among others.
Just last week Tuesday, February 25, 2020, a high powered team of the Nigeria Council for legal Education were in FUOYE for resource verification exercise that will give birth to accreditation of the Law programme of the University.
FUOYE has emerged the first of its peers to start a Post Graduate School as well as annual inaugural lectures and these were achieved when Prof. Soremekun mounted the saddle of leadership!.
Erudite Professor of Bio-Chemistry, Prof. Akintayo Cecelia gave the first FUOYE inuagural lecture on her ground breaking research work, while another distinguished Professor of Dance and Performance Aesthetics, and Nigeria's first Professor of Dance, Prof. Rasaki Ojo Bakare gave the second inuagural lecture and Prof. Omotola, current Dean of the faculty of Social Sciences, has been scheduled to give the forthcoming inaugural lecture of our great University.
Having noticed the University Management's giant strides in the aforementioned areas, the Federal Government and the Ministry of Education poured encomiums on the Prof. Soremekun led Management team and the University Governing Council recently.
Hear what they said: Mr. Sabo Inuwa, a representative of the Federal Government in FUOYE's Council said. "I am satisfied with the level of development in FUOYE. I am very happy with the administration of Prof. Kayode Soremekun. Already, FUOYE has been ranked first among its peers in infrastructural development and academic performance. It is the best. So, ignore all the bad elements spreading bad rumours to spoil the school.".
Mr. Abdullahi Saliu Jibrin, a representative of the Ministry of Education who stood in for the Minister of Education said. "It is an excellent performance that the Prof. Kayode Soremekun team has done in FUOYE. As for the criticism against the management, we have taken that positively. It is natural, no matter how good you are, you will get criticism but we are not distracted.
Asked what makes him an astute administrator who has been able to achieve so much, Prof. Soremekun told newsmen: "What drives me is the culture of Excellence. If you know about my background, you can call me an authentic part of the Floria's tradition, that tradition has been responsible for my motivation. Above all, God is involved because with Christ in the vessel, we have smiles at the storm.
“I want to tell you with deep sense of sincerity that most of the facilities we have in FUOYE today were started and completed by our team. We met some abandoned projects such as the central administration building and the library, but all have been completed. But like Achebe said, it is still Morning yet on creation day. We are hoping that before the end of the year, we will have more projects, because by the end of the current admission exercise, the students' population would hit 20,000. That means we will need more facilities, but certainly, we are much better now than what we met four years ago," he said.
The VC while advising FUOYE students, staff and the FG, said: "Government should not relent on its efforts at funding FUOYE and other Federal institutions because the bedrock of development is education. For the past few years that this institution has been in this part of Nigeria, there has been substantial change socially and economically.
“Students are urged to make judicious use of the facilities because they are the future of the nation. The staff should cooperate with the authorities and be more patient. Rome was not built in a day so FUOYE would not be built in a day, but surely, what the horizon looks like is that we will be looking more like the Obafemi Awolowo University in the next five years," he assured.