NEWS
Oyetola Inaugurates Governing Council For University Of Ilesa
As part of his administration’s effort to ensure quick take-off of academic activities at the newly approved and licenced University of Ilesa, Osun Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, on Tuesday, inaugurated the Governing Council of the University.
The immediate past Minister of Health and Former Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac Adewole chairs the Council.
This is even as the Governor charged members of the Council on fairness and proactiveness towards ensuring the financial sustainability of the institution.
Members of the Governing Council are: Chief Akinwande Akinola – Pioneer General Manager, International Breweries Ltd; Professor Sola Akinrinade – Pioneer Vice Chancellor, Osun State University; Chief Bayo Jimoh,- Former Group Managing Director Odua Investment Company; Dr. Charles ‘Diji Akinola – Chief of Staff to the Governor of Osun State; Professor Labo Popoola Former Vice Chancellor, Osun State University.
Others are: Professor Oluyemisi Obilade – Former Vice Chancellor, Tai Solarin University of Education; Mr. Rasheed Sarumi-GMD, SaroAfrica; Representative of the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC); Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Osun State; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Osun State; Statutory internal members from the University as provided for in the Establishment Law, who would be added upon the take-off of the University; Prof. Kayode Ijaduola and Dr. Dada who will serve as the Council’s Secretary.
Recall that the administration of Governor Oyetola had earlier approached the State House of Assembly for the upgrade of Osun State College of Education, Ilesa to a full-fledged university after which it was approved by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
Inaugurating members of the Governing Council, at the State Executive Council Lounge, Governor’s office, Abere, Osogbo, Governor Oyetola, said the idea of this new University had become necessary to further expand access to qualitative education, among other opportunities, for the young population.
“As a State known for excellence in all spheres, we envision a citadel of excellence that will enter the nation’s educational space as a leader in the university’s tripartite mandate of teaching, research and community service and provide competitive graduates that will transform the State’s economy in line with our Development Agenda and rule their world.
“In order to also underscore our commitment to excellence, we employed the services of KPMG to offer advisory services on the smooth take-off of the University.
“This is the profile of the University we have invited your Eminences into, believing that your individual records of distinction will deliver the excellence and internationalization that we envision.
“I, therefore, urge you to engrain in the university as employers of the staff of its staff, the principles of impeccable university governance, merit-driven appointment of staff and students’ admission, internationalization of the university, sustainable university funding to achieve self-sustainability, staff/student discipline, entrepreneurship, and stable university calendar that will sustainably rank the university as one of the globally-recognised universities.
“Just as our administration has demonstrated that delivering service in a depressed economy is doable, we charge you to demonstrate to the world that academic excellence is possible in the nation’s depressing university system”, the governor added.
Responding on behalf of members of the Governing Council, Chief Akinwande Akinola, assured of their readiness to hit the ground running.
“It is a great honour that has been bestowed on all of us to be part of the pioneer Governing Council of this great University. I am responding on behalf of the Chairman and we can assure you that you have given us an enduring legacy.
“There’s is no doubt in the fact that Mr Governor’s name will be published in gold. The upgrade of this university took us 30 years and nobody will forget what Mr. Governor has bestowed on us, and everybody is happy on this gesture.
“It will be forever written that during Oyetola’s reign, the College was upgraded. You have given us the mandate which we will deliver to the best of our ability and when you hear of the university in five years’ time, you will be happy. The university will continue to shine,” he said.
The President of the African School of Governance, Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu has admonished state actors against resorting to brutal force in the bid to muscle out separatist agitators.
In the aftermath of Mazi Simon Ekpa, the Finland based Biafran nationalist agitator being caught in legal web and the Nigerian government moving swiftly to seek his repatriation, the former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has cautioned that ‘We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.’
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The political economist, while expressing his hope in Nigeria, made it clear that “hope is not a strategy”.
He bared his mind in a series of posts on his verified handle on micro-blogging site, X on Friday.
Moghalu wrote, “Despite sustained contemporary difficulties, I am hopeful about Nigeria. But hope is not a strategy. We need to improve state capacity for effective governance.
“We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.
“We must learn to be honest with ourselves and address the root causes of our problems. Why ignore them, when the problem is actually quite solvable? The problem with continuing with this approach is that when the danger crystallizes, those who thought they were benefiting from
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has criticized the federal government’s plan to secure an additional N1.7 trillion loan through Eurobonds to cover a shortfall in the 2024 budget, describing the borrowing as unsustainable and harmful to Nigeria’s economy.
In a statement shared on Thursday via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Atiku accused the Bola Tinubu-led administration of burdening Nigerians with debt while failing to provide clear answers about the country’s fiscal challenges.
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He also faulted the National Assembly for enabling what he called a “voracious appetite” for loans.
The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate expressed alarm over a recent World Bank report ranking Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), calling the development troubling.
“The recent report released by the World Bank, showing Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), is very concerning,” Atiku stated.
He raised further concerns about the government’s decision to benchmark the proposed loan at an exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, despite the Central Bank of Nigeria’s official rate being over N1,600.
“What makes this particular loan proposal even more concerning is that it is benchmarked at the exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, whereas the current exchange rate from the Central Bank of Nigeria stands at over N1,600 to 1 USD,” he said.
Atiku questioned the need for additional borrowing, given the government’s earlier claims of record-high revenue collection.
“In July this year, Tinubu boasted that the FIRS and Customs under his watch had collected all-time high revenues to finance the budget. Why are they still borrowing?” he said
He accused the government of a lack of transparency, describing the borrowing spree as detrimental to Nigerians already struggling under economic hardship.
“There is something that they are not telling Nigerians, even as they are being crushed by a combination of their failed trial-and-error policies and loan rackets.”
Atiku also referenced a report by BudgIT, a budget monitoring group, which criticized the 2024 budget for its inefficiencies.
He alleged that corruption, rather than infrastructure or development needs, was driving the government’s borrowing decisions.
“These loans are powered by corruption and not for infrastructure and development needs. This voracious appetite for humongous loans is deeply concerning,” he said.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s financial history, Atiku lamented the return to significant foreign indebtedness just years after former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration cleared the country’s debt.
“It is agonizing to see that just a few years after the Obasanjo administration took us out of foreign indebtedness, we are today back at the top spot in the same conundrum,” he stated.
He called for a more cautious approach to borrowing, urging the government to prioritize fiscal responsibility and transparency to avoid worsening Nigeria’s economic challenges.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken a historic step, issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The charges include crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed during Israel’s recent assault on Gaza.
In a detailed statement, the ICC accused the Israeli leaders of “intentionally and knowingly depriving the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity.”
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The ICC’s move marks a significant escalation in international scrutiny of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu and Gallant are alleged to have orchestrated policies that caused severe harm to the civilian population in Gaza, leading to widespread condemnation from human rights organizations.
Alongside the charges against Israeli officials, the ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif. Deif has long been a central figure in Hamas’s military operations. Israel’s military claims to have killed him in a July airstrike, although this has not been independently verified.
The warrants highlight growing calls for accountability amid the ongoing conflict in the region. The ICC’s actions are likely to provoke heated debate and may complicate diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the crisis.
With the warrants issued, global attention now turns to how the international community will respond and whether any practical steps will be taken to enforce them.
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