The Governing Council of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), led by Professor Siyan Oyeweso, has pledged to prioritize student welfare and address the university’s infrastructural challenges.
At the conclusion of inaugural meeting on Wednesday, the council met with all staff and student unions within the institution to seek maximum cooperation with the management to ensure stable academic calendar.
During the inspection of the students hostels, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council expressed concern about the aging infrastructure, while emphasizing on the need for massive investments to rehabilitate the facilities.
Oyeweso said, “The halls are aging. We’ll need massive injections of funds to rehabilitate some of this infrastructures. We will be seeking support of our Alumni Association and other relevant agencies and ministries of the government to achieve thia.
“The student have expressed their challenges, they want the problem of light, water and hostels facilities addressed. We are on top of the situation within our mandate to ensure our students live in a liveable, friendly and peaceful environment”, he explained.
The council chairman highlighted the importance of a stable and achievable academic calendar, improved staff welfare, and a conducive learning environment. He said the meeting with the unions was premised on achieving these.
He said, ”We have had extensive discussions with the academic staff union (ASUU), SSANU, NASU, NAAT, CONUA abd SUG. Our primary mission is to ensure that this university under Professor Adebayo Bamire records significant landmark in terms of academic excellence and in terms of promoting good governance.
“We have also extended hand of fellowship to the union if there’s anything we can archive to have a stable and sustainable academic calendar and I believe we’ll work together”,he reiterated.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for the new governing council while expressing hope and optimism in the new governing council under Professor Oyeweso’s leadership.
“I strongly believe in the council being led by Prof Siyan Oyeweso, we visited some of the facilities the hostels, rooms, water facilities, and we saw the electricity problems and we believe that with them being around now, we’ll be able to solve most of these problems.
“We also appeal to the government to find a way of assisting us further with respect to the dam that we have that supplies water, it has to be dredged. If this is done, the crisis of water will become a thing of past. We’ll even supply water to our hosting community.
“In terms of electricity too, we have the rural electrification project that is like 70% completed. What is required is a four-gas engine and then other accessories to make up the remaining 30%. We want this addressed too”, the Vice Chancellor explained further.
President-elect of the Great Ife Students Union, Omoboriowo Damilola Isaac presented the students’ demands which include improved water supply, functional toilets, and better lighting and electrical facilities while hoping that their demands will be answered soonest.
InsightMedia recalled that the inaugural meeting of the Governing Council started on Monday at the university campus.
