Olufemi Atoyebi, Ibadan
Provost of the Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo, Prof. Olayiwola Usman, has said that the institution will need about N3bn as take-off grant in order to realise its planned upgrade to university status.
Speaking at a briefing held to herald the 40th anniversary of the institution, Usman told newsmen that the school would soon decorate former President Olusegun Obasanjo with a special award. According to him, the establishment of the school was approved when Obasanjo was the military Head of State.
He said, “A lot of efforts have been made to upgrade the school to a university. Some of these efforts predated my arrival as the provost. The National Assembly is working on a motion concerning this and it has reached an advanced stage. I have also met the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, on this matter and we had a fruitful discussion.
“When you look at such project, we will need at least N3bn as take-off grant. We already have privileged information that the upgrade will soon take off. It may be that funding is delaying it for now. We are optimistic, based on the efforts we have made and how far we have gone.’’
The provost said the college faced a funding challenge, stressing that it needed to employ more interpreters and erect more structures tailored to meet the need of physically challenged students. To meet some of its financial challenges, Usman said N5bn endowment fund would be launched as part of the 40th anniversary celebration.
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