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The promoter of the New City University, Aiyetoro, Ogun State, Mr. Akin Akingbesote, has expressed readiness for the commencement of operations.
He dropped the hint during the second visitation of the National Universities Commission (NUC) on their campus and stressed that, between June and November 2024, when the commission’s officials made their first visit, there has been 80 percent transformation.
Said he: “The environment is now well furnished; we now have proper landscaping, we have constructed a sports centre, we have brought in equipment for the faculty of nursing. So we have transformed the campus. If we get approval, we are ready and prepared to commence operations because we have a solid and robust system in place. We are going to deliver quality, affordable and accessible education. It is going to be a great institution for students.”
Chairman of the implementation committee for the proposed university, Prof. Ralph Akinfeleye, expressed optimism on getting approval. He said the university would be an iconic learning centre that would make significant contributions to education in the country.
“We are so excited about the second NUC visitation. They have come for assessment. We are very optimistic because we have done the needful. Nigeria has 274 universities. We hope to be number 275 because we have done our best. This is a major departure from the first visit, but today everything is fine. The NUC officials are very thorough. We hope we have done what we need to do and our university will be a university of relevance, an iconic university, a university that will help make significant contributions to the pedagogical purity of education in Nigeria. So, we are awaiting the results and we hope will pass. Once we get our licence, we will hit the ground running,” he said.
Prof. Yemi Akinseye-George, SAN, a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and a member of the board of trustees, implementation committee, for New City University, said the team from the NUC confirmed that the university scored over 70 percent in terms of development, acquisition of educational materials, and transformation.
He praised Akinfeleye for his efforts and brilliant contributions to the university. He also hailed the founder whom he said was driven by excellence and integrity.
“In every respect, they scored the university high. We congratulate students who would be the first beneficiaries of this great achievement by the founder, a man of excellence, who has succeeded in business and his career. He wants to impart that success on another generation. He wants to give back to posterity. So, I congratulate the students, because they will not just learn, but also acquire character, entrepreneurial capacity, so that they can become better citizens.
“Our founder has given us a platform to show the world what we have to offer. On behalf of the BoT, we thank you all.”
Alhaji Rasheed Mustapha, an NUC official, commended the university for the massive improvement. He lauded the promoter for doing substantial work on observations raised during the first accreditation.
“The promoter has done substantial work on the observations raised during the first visit. I rate him above 70 percent because there is massive improvement,” he added.
The NUC team also called for support for the promoter from the staff to ensure robust service delivery.
