Femi OGUNLANA
The newly appointed Acting Provost of College of Agriculture and Renewable Natural Resources, Iseyin campus of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, Professor Jacob Gbemiga Adewale has given assurance that the college will witness tremendous growth within a short period of time.
Professor Adewale, who served meritoriously as second Provost of the Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology (OYSCATECH), Igbo-Ora, recalling how his tenure elicited the transformation of OYSCATECH stated he was poised to bring his vast experience to bear to make positive impact and build the institution on a solid foundation.
While answering questions from ogbomosoinsightonline.com at the weekend, Adewale recounted how he brought about an upswing in the number of courses available at the institution and also put it on the world educational map with cutting edge programmes, noted he still had the magic wand to make the goal realizable at Iseyin.
However, he refused to be drawn into discussion on the status of the college in relation to the faculty of agriculture at the main campus whether the two will run concurrently or the latter will be phased out gradually, insisting the decision lies with the LAUTECH’s governing council.
Highlighting how he would make the institution stand on a strong footing and give it a competitive edge, he assured his vast experience would be brought to bear, “We have started, we were there on Tuesday, you know when you are starting a new project, you have to look into similar previous projects that have been executed. So, I looked into LAUTECH project when it started, I looked at OYSCATECH when it started. And so, we have started bringing to bear the little experience we gathered in those two places. By the special grace of God, by this time next year, there will be a facelift, an impressive turn around.”
He evoked the memory of the transformation of OYSCATECH, Igbo-Ora, “When I got there, Igbo-Ora was a secluded place but by the grace of God we brought it into the map of the world, the international community to the extent that we had international collaboration from USAID, that is United States Development Agency to the point that Michigan State University was also brought in, we have partnership with them, we were having programmes with them.”
Adewale also increased the number of courses offered by the institution just as he made it a full-fledged polytechnic, “I met five academic programmes at ND level, and before I left we increased it to 8 ND and about 20 HND. By the grace of God too, I transformed the place from monotechnic to polytechnic, we now have access to TETFUND. As I am speaking, they are scheduled to benefit from TETFUND this year 2021. They must have received the letter. We thank God for that.
“Apart from that, there were poor infrastructural facilities for teaching and research. I replaced the poultry houses and also added a stock of about 4, 000 broilers before I left. And also by the grace of God and with the support of the government, we completed the School of agricultural extension and rural economics. Also, the staffs that were on temporary appointment, we regularized their appointment we got accreditation and so on and so forth.
“And the staff were promoted as at when due. This you can confirm. To the glory of God, for one to be able to achieve some of these things you have to be selfless. When we were poorly paid, I was part of it, I didn’t say because I was a tenured officer that I must have my salary. I was also owed like other staff members, so, one needs to be selfless.”
Asked to clarify the issue of the status of the faculty of agriculture at the main campus vis-à-vis the two faculties the Iseyin campus will take off with, he simply posited, “That is council matter.”
He was further asked if the faculty will be relocated wholly from the main campus, but he again curtly submitted, “That is matter the LAUTECH’s governing council will address. As far as I am concerned, we have college of agricultural sciences and renewable natural resources, Iseyin campus of LAUTECH, established by the Oyo state government.”
The professor of rural sociology at LAUTECH was similarly not forthcoming on a recent news item that workers would assume duty at the Iseyin campus this Monday morning, whether the workers would be moved from LAUTECH or new workers had been recruited. He again maintained it was a matter for the governing council to decide. “Like I said, that is still council matter, in the sense that we have not received any directive. It was the host community that is so serious, its people have been so enthusiastic because for the past 75 years they have had the dream of the establishment of a higher tertiary institution in the town, so, this promise held out to them by the Oyo state government, ably led by Engr Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde, has filled them with joy. Engr Makinde made the promise to them and when he took over the ownership of LAUTECH and became the sole visitor to the institution, the council was directed to establish that college and which they have done and we will continue to receive mandate, directions, instructions from them.”
He added nonetheless, “Staff will resume, there are some people who will report there, we have reported there and we will still report there on Monday. The college management will be there which have all the arms of the university management currently.”
He evaded also the question of whether students will be admitted next academic session scheduled to start next month. “Again that is council matter,” he stressed.
