Senate Committee Mulls Converting Of Yabatech And Ilaro Poly To Universities

In its commitment to opening access to higher education in the country, the Senate is poised to upgrade the Federal Polytechnics, Ilaro and Yaba College of Technology, Yaba to universities of technology as well as grant legal status to the Nigeria French Village, Badagry. To this end, a public hearing for three bills sponsored by Senator Solomon Adeola (APC, Lagos West) was held at the National Assembly on Thursday.

Senator Ahmad Babba Kaita, the Chairman Senate Committee of Tertiary Institution and TETFUND at the hearing said upgrading the two institutions would go a long way in calibrating the spread of educational infrastructure and balance access to education among the diverse of Nigeria.

He added that the passage of the inter-university centre for the French language in Badagry will improve the French Language proficiency and language skills required across professions at the global levels for ease of imparting knowledge and business practices.

Senator Adeola in his contribution to the general public listening to because the sponsor of the said the bills are pursuant of certainly one of his legislative agenda to decorate and broaden the educational group as well as human resources improvement including that the passage of the payments will cope with the need to amplify the opportunities for our teeming youths looking for admission into universities.

Adeola noted that the upgrade of these institutions will cope with the problem of unemployment by offering training with the potentials to create jobs through its products in addition to increase the economy of the host groups through the use of technological improvements.

Stakeholders from the host groups and the instructional communities of these 3 establishments provided oral and written memoranda in help of the payments amongst them the Olu of Ilaro and Paramount Ruler of Yewaland Ogun State, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle who got here with the 5 royal fathers specifically Onipokia of Ipokia Oba Olusola Olaniyan, Oba Adeyemi Adekeye, the Abepa of Joga Orile Yewa, Oba Ebenezer Akinyemi, the Eselu of Iselu, Oba Jaiyeola Agunbiade, the Alagbara of Agbara Yewa, Onimeko of Imeko, Oba Benjamin Olanite, Otunba Akkem Adigun and Mr. Taiwo Hassan aka Ogogo, a popular actor.

Others who supported the passage of the payments because it pertains to them consists of Professor Babatunde Aileru, the registrar of the Nigeria French Village, Professor Austin Moye Dean of Faculty of Arts, University of Benin and President of University French Teachers Association on Nigeria, Dr.(Mrs) Lauretta Offodile the President of YabaTech ASUP, Apostle Shegun Shodipe President Yabatech Alumni and Dr. Kunle Salako of Ogun State Ministry of Health among others.