By; OLADELE ADEDAYO, Ado-Ekiti
The Vice Chancellor, Federal University , Oye, Ekiti( FUOYE), has called on Nigerians to rise against the prevailing insecurity challenges threatening the peace and tranquility of the nation.
The Prof. of Soil Science said the university is devising means to checkmate kidnapping of students, staff and visitors of the institution.
Fasina however appealed to the Federal government to negotiate with the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU),to avert imminent nationwide strike in the interest of the country’s future and children.
Stating the giant strides of FUOYE to buoy scholarship in the country, Fasina said a total of 88 graduates will be decorated with First Class degrees at the combined fifth and sixth convocation ceremonies of the university slated for Saturday, December 18.
Fasina, who spoke in Oye-Ekiti campus of the institution yesterday, during a pre-convocation press conference heralding the ceremonies, said a total of 2,587 graduands will bag the institution’s bachelor degrees at the academic event.
Speaking about the general insecurity in the country,where universities had felt a dose of the tremor being generated by kidnapping of students and lecturers, the Professor of Soil Science, said: “Security should be a matter of concern to all Nigerians.
“Though I quite believed that God is the ultimate security of all of us, but this university is well prepared. We have invested in technology and we carrying along with us all security formations, who are working with us to protect our students, lecturers and visitors against insecurity and for the success of these celebrations.
“I can assure you that whoever messes up or trying to compromise our security would be apprehended and made to face the full weight of law”.
Fasina, who said though the planned strike, which may begin next week if ASUU’s demands are not met won’t affect the convocation ceremonies, pleaded with ASUU and the Federal government to ” dialogue in the interest of our country, in the interest of our children and in the interest of our tomorrow”.
Reeling out the list of graduating students, Fasina said a total of 35 would earn doctorate, Masters and Post graduate degrees during the convocation.
“Out of 2,587 first degree graduates, 88 graduated with first class, 880 with second class upper division,1,309 with second class lower division,309 with third class and with only one pass.
“We will encourage the first class graduates by employing some of them as lecturers of this university. It will interest you that a former students’ union leader made first class in Engineering, which shows that we have brilliant students here in FUOYE.
“The standard here is very high and we will continue to celebrate whoever makes us happy,either student or lecturer. We will involve many of the first class students in graduate training. We have selected many of them for scholarship, so that they can earn higher degrees.
“Our main focus is to encourage our students to key into the agenda we are driving here, so that we can earn that global competitiveness FUOYE is gearing towards. We will be serious with our academic standard. We wouldn’t promote mediocrity. We are proud that many of our graduates are doing excellently well in foreign universities winning laurels, we are happy about this”.
Fasina added that at the occasion,the new Attah of Igala, HRM Mathew Opaluwa,the university’s Chancellor, Dr. Nuhu Yakubu, and the Managing Director of Bovas Petroleum Nigeria Limited, Mrs Victoria Samson, will be honoured with honourary doctorate degrees.
The VICe Chancellor added that the convocation lecture will be delivered by a Prof. of Forestry, Prof. Olabode Popoola.
