The Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has announced the approval of a N1.2bn grant to Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, to complete some of the abandoned projects on the campus.
The governor also announced automatic employment for the best-graduating student at the university, Miss Adedayo Janet.
Aiyedatiwa, who is also a Visitor to the school, made the announcement at the second convocation ceremony of the government-owned varsity, held on Monday, on the campus of the university, in Okitipupa.
He said, “I am specially honoured to address this second Convocation. This marks my historic and inaugural attendance as the Visitor to the university, since my assumption of office in the last 69 days.
“I have no doubt that your upcoming School of Maritime Transport and Logistics at Ugbonla which is at 60percent completion by OSOPADEC (Ondo State Oil-producing Areas Development Commission) is very timely and will be of immense advantage to the Ondo State Deep Seaport Project and the development of Blue Economy in the country at large.”
According to the governor, the approval of the N1.2bn capital grant in the 2024 budget to OAUSTECH was for speedy completion of abandoned buildings of the School of Science and others.
He reiterated that the institution’s monthly subvention of N91m would also be given due consideration to enhance the operations of the school.
The governor also promised to facilitate the completion of the abandoned hostel buildings being funded by the Niger Delta Development Commission and OSOPADEC without further delay.
While congratulating the graduating student on the feat, the Visitor admonished them to always make the school, Ondo State, the country and their parents and guardians proud wherever they found themselves in the world.
Earlier, in his welcome address, the Pro-Chancellor, Prof. Adebo Adesomoju, thanked Governor Aiyedatiwa for directing the continuation of the ongoing construction of some internal roads in the institution.
In his remarks during the ceremony, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Temi Ologunorisa, disclosed that a total of 1,202 were conferred with first-degree in the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 academic sessions of the university.
The don said, “Overall, we are graduating 1,202 students consisting of 62 students in first class, 527 students in second class upper division, 552 students in second class lower division and 61 students third class division.”
The don noted that the university had moved from a teaching university to a research institution, having achieved a lot in the area of research, adding that some of the university staff won N50mn and N250m in different research programmes at different times in the past.