Tertiary Institutions in Ondo Charge Least Tuition, Says Mimiko

Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State has affirmed that tertiary institutions in the state charged the cheapest tuition fees in the country.

The Governor made the affirmation in Akungba on Friday during the commissioning of the newly built Adekunle Ajasin University’s Senate Building which he described as “another of our legacy projects, which has become our trademark in laying a sustainable foundation for the development of our State".

He added that the building "also signpost the history of our past, document the records of our present and provide illumination for our future”.

Mimiko was also bestowed with the education icon award of the National Association of Nigerian Students Zone D, South West Nigeria.

He noted that his administration would not relent in moving the state to the next level of sustainable development in all sectors, stressing that the provision of quality education for the citizenry assumed a matter of great concern for the administration within the context of the socio-economic environment.

He commended Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Femi Mimiko and the immediate past chairman and members of the university's governing council, headed by Mr. Dan Nwanyanwu for their vision and contributions to the transformation of the university.

According to Dr Mimiko, the construction of the four -winged, five storey complex Senate Building located on 12 hectares of land commenced on March 7 2012, and it was completely funded by the Ondo State government.

As an active participant in the government and politics of the state for more than three decades, Dr Mimiko identified infrastructural decay as a major challenge confronting tertiary and other institutions across the country, noting that his administration had continued to tackle the challenge in all the state-owned institutions.

He expressed delight that the huge investment of his administration in tertiary education had continued to yield results and attracted recognition from within and outside the country as the United States Transparency International Standards (USTIS) recently declared the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko as the best State-owned university in Nigeria and Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, was also adjudged the best State Polytechnic in Nigeria.

He added that all the courses of the State owned University of Science and technology Okitipupa had been accredited.

He noted that admission into the university in the last five years had been merit based as a law graduate of the university emerged the best law graduate in Nigeria this year, stressing the university had run an uninterrupted academic calendar in the last five years.

"We have done everything within our reach to help assuage the private cost of education and to also rekindle the hope of our kids on a government that has orientation for service. That perhaps, is responsible for the fact that the regime of fees in all Ondo State owned Tertiary Institutions is arguably one of the cheapest in Nigeria".

"We have tried to restructure the education sector of Ondo State and placed it on a sustainable platform within the limits of available resources. We have set targets and we have deliberately democratised access to education based on our conviction that if our education is meant for just a few, the consequences of the unenlightened society that could emerge would be disastrous for all and sundry".

In his welcome address, the Professor Mimiko disclosed that the building, which was one of the best Senate Buildings globally  had seven staircases, three elevators, 148 offices, 165 conveniences, 10 boardrooms, two conference halls, a banquet hall, and a two-room living apartment.

He stressed further that the Senate and Council Chambers located on the fourth floor have a seating capacity of 184 and 50 respectively, adding that, the building had an open Piazza that can take some 2,500 people at a time, and parking lots that could accommodate 110 regular vehicles.

He said the project which was completed in June 2014 "is an iconic building which stands as the testimonial to the Governor Mimiko's government's commitment to education”.