By Precious Oluwole

Ondo State House of Assembly has commended the Management of Adekiunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA),for expanding in programs and steadfastness in maintaining standard.

The House Committee on Tertiary Institutions who gave the commendation during an oversight visit to the University however, charged the management to further add more faculties, especially engineering to make it a full fledge conventional School.

The Committee led by the Lawmaker from Ese- Odo Constituency , Oluwatoyin Allen who represented the Chairman, Chris Aiyebusiwa affirmed that the school has improved tremendously in less than a year they last visited for oversight.

While assuring that education would be given priority in the next budget,the Committee members added that they would also monitor to ensure the budget perform effectively.

Members promised to give legislating backing in addressing the challenges of the University for overall development.

In an interview during inspection of facilities at the new faculties, the committee appreciated the VC and his team for a job well done.

“The major challenges is funding, regarding their budget which is not up to expectations,we promised as a committee to write our report and send it to Mr Governor so that something would be done , and the capital projects that has been abandoned for years would be put in place as soon as possible, including the urgent need to renovate the Senate building “. Allen remarked.

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Olugbenga Ige while highlighting the activities, achievements and challenges of the institution ,informed that two new faculties made up of nine new programs have been approved by the National University Commission,NUC, and would begin to admit students for the courses this year.

The new programmes he said are Nursing Science, Public Health, and Medical Laboratory Science in the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences; Cyber Security, Data Science, Software Engineering, Information and Communication Technology, and Information Systems in the Faculty of Computing; while Food Science and Technology is housed in the Faculty of Agriculture.

Professor lge said that the school is also working on having two additional faculties of Engineering and Medical Sciences.

The VC explained that the 2024/25 academic year would begin next month, having concluded the last session of 2023/24, noting that admission process for the next session is almost completed.

The don who noted that the institution is the only State university participating in the NUGA game currently going on in Benin,Edo State , with the Institution still maintaining the best State University in Nigeria, promised not to relent in achievement the mandate.

He however sought for the assistance of the Committee in accessing capital votes for projects which they have not access for over five years, increase in subvention to pay Staff salaries which they always source for over 200 millions every month, among others.

He said that the institution has the best Senate building in Nigeria,but is now getting deteriorated and need renovation, adding that the University is no longer in the TETFUND list which Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has written a letter to that effect,but has already been given to another Institution in the next round of intervention.