The National Universities Commission on Monday gave a recognition letter to an Ogun State Government delegation, granting the approval for the upgrading of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, to Moshood Abiola University of Science and Technology.
The NUC Executive Secretary, Prof Abubakar Rasheed, who delivered the approval letter to the Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, at the NUC Headquarters, Abuja, said the MAUTECH was now the 45th state university and the 85th public university in the country.
According to him, the take-off of the university will mean that Ogun State will now have three state universities.
“Ogun state is the intellectual capital of black Africa.
“From the NUC records, Olabisi Onabanjo University and Tai Solarin University of Education are two state universities but the addition of the University of Science and Technology will make it three.
“What this shows is that the governor is really doing well as he has the education of the state at heart.
“Beginning from July 3, 2017, the Polytechnic has now been recognised as the 45th state university in Nigeria.”
Rasheed also noted that the NUC did not just create the university for access alone but the integrity and sanctity of the degree in Nigeria university.
He said an average graduate of Nigerian university with a very good average degree earned (2-2) in a good university in Nigeria and qualifies for any university in the world performs better.
“Our qualities are of international standard, we have high standard in the quality of education in Nigeria.
“We are still working to review our curriculum to make it more competitive and ensure that it is of international best standards to solve our problems.
“We want to graduates students who are familiar with our culture, tradition, history, science; and we want those graduates to be citizens of the world who can fit in anywhere.
“We want to assure Nigerians that the quality of our degree is quite okay and we are working to improve on it,” he said.
He, however, called on other governors to take a cue from Ogun state governor and advance the course of the university system in the country.
Gov. Ibikunle Amosun in his response said for any nation to get it right, the tertiary institutions must do well.
Amosun said the upgrade of the Polytechnic to a university was done through the enabling law of the Ogun State House of Assembly.
He added that the university would be a reference point as the government of the state was committed to leaving no stone unturned to take the university to its greater height.
He added that certain funds had been created for the funding of the university.
“As we are upgrading the Polytechnic to a University, we are earlier in Kaduna today to establish a new Polytechnic because we don’t want the Polytechnic to die like that, so we are relocating the Polytechnic to Ipokia area of the state.
“The university of science and technology will now be in Abeokuta.
The governor said a technical committee had been brainstorming in the last six years on the way forward to bring this to fruition.
He added that the university would also help to develop the human capital that would improve the industrial hub of the state.
He, however, promised to provide science and technology solution to areas in health, security and environmental challenges bedevilling the country.
(NAN)