Ekiti Monarch, Oba Ilori-Faboro, pledges continued support for FUOYE
The Chairman of Ekiti State Council of Obas and Olojudo of Ido Ekiti, Oba Ayorinde Ilori-Faboro, has promised to continue to show support to the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE).
The 70-year-old veteran sailor turned monarch, gave the assurance of his continued support when he received at his Palace, members of the institution’s Governing Council led by the new Pro-Chancellor, Distinguished Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN.
The revered traditional leader said he felt delighted with the decision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to make Ndoma-Egba, a respected legal luminary with sterling leadership qualities and great influence, FUOYE’s Pro-Chancellor/Chairman Governing Council.
Oba Ilori-Faboro assured that he will also rally his fellow traditional rulers to extend same gesture of support to the 13-year-old fast-growing university.
“FUOYE is our university. And I’m very happy with the President for choosing a very able person as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman Governing Council of the university. He means well. The President likes development. So, I’m sure he strategically brought you (Ndoma-Egba) here.
“The University is a new one. It is about 13 years old now. And because of the quality of people they bring to FUOYE, that is why the development in the school is so rapid. And then now bringing somebody of your calibre to be Pro-Chancellor. I have a lot of expectations that FUOYE will rise very, very fast,” the Royal Father averred.
The king added that “Ekiti is one. There is no division. We are the same. We understand ourselves. FUOYE is our property. We will make sure that FUOYE succeeds and that the university continues to grow.
“I welcome you to Ekiti. I wish you well. Fortunately we have a very good governor and his wife. We have a very wonderful government in place in Ekiti State.
“This is your territory. Any time, day and night, my door is open. Prof. Abayomi Fasina, the Vice Chancellor knows. The Lord will watch over you as you come and go. You will spend your time peacefully here. And at the end of it, FUOYE will grow higher.”
The traditional ruler commended the management team of the university ably led by the Vice Chancellor (VC), Prof. Abayomi Fasina, and the entire staff for their dedication and commitment, which he said, was responsible for the rapid growth of the institution.
Speaking, Ndoma-Egba, former Pro-Chancellor of Federal University Lokoja (FUL) thanked the Royal Father for warmly receiving him and other members of the Governing Council.
He told the king that he was in his Palace to pay him homage and formally inform him of his resumption as FUOYE’s Pro-Chancellor, after the President considered it necessary to swap him with his predecessor, Engr. Kayode Ojo, who has moved to FUL.
The erstwhile Senate Leader pleaded with the Monarch that greater support was needed from all fronts to manage the supersonic growth of FUOYE, currently the 4th most sought-after university by admission seekers in Nigeria.
He revealed that the school had 55,000 applicants seeking admission for the 2024/2025 session, declaring that “By the time we will leave, we will not only want to make FUOYE number one in Nigeria, we want to make it number one in Africa, and by the grace of God number one in the world.”
Ndoma-Egba said: “We have heard of the support that you have given to the university. I believe that if you were given 50% support, now you will be giving 100% support. We intend to grow in a sustainable manner.
“The teaching hospital which is part of the university is already here in Ido-Ekiti. It used to be the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), but it has now been upgraded to our teaching hospital.
“We plan to consolidate that teaching hospital. We plan to also make it a centre of growth and a centre of attraction for the university. So, I want to thank you for all the support you have given to us. And that as Oliver Twist we will be coming to ask for more and more.”
Ndoma-Egba also led the Governing Council members to visit the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe, Aladesanmi III, the Catholic Bishop of Ado-Ekiti, Most Revd Felix Femi Ajakaye, and the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, Prof. Ebenezer Adekunle Ajayi.
The Pro-Chancellor’s visits to different key stakeholders in Ekiti State, which started with Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji on Monday were, according to him, meant to build synergy and foster collaboration for the development of FUOYE.
