VICE CHANCELLOR, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY LOKOJA, PROFESSOR GBENGA IBILEYE UNVEILS ₦3BN AI CENTRE, PPP HOSTELS, INT’L PARTNERSHIPS AFTER 4 MONTHS
Four months after assuming office, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Lokoja, Professor Gbenga Ibileye, has unveiled a ₦3 billion Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Cyber Sciences, alongside plans for 2,400 bed spaces through public-private partnerships and new international collaborations.
In an interview with journalists on Saturday, at the sidelines of the 2026 Ekinrin-Adde Day Cultural Festival in Ekinrin, Prof. Ibileye said the university has prioritized unity among staff and unions as the foundation for transformation, while recording “modest but concrete” gains in welfare, transportation, accreditation, and infrastructure since his inauguration on 16th February 2026.
Interview Excerpt:
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Q: Good morning, sir. Between February this year and now, what has changed at the Federal University Lokoja?
A: Thank you very much for the opportunity to interact with you. I was inaugurated on 16th February 2026, and here we are four months down the line. So, what has changed?
We could say maybe nothing tangible has changed, but there are intangible changes, and those intangible changes are the foundation for the transformation of the university that I envisage.
What has changed intangibly is a renewed understanding of our commonality as an institution. We have now renewed our bond to work together. The unions — academic staff unions, non-teaching staff unions, technologists, and every other person — have come to the realization that we need to work together. Because if we don’t have that understanding, we will not be able to deploy the limited resources of the institution for maximal impact.
So, we are building partnership, understanding, and cooperation among our people.
That said, we have made some modest achievements, even in concrete terms. For instance, when we got there, morale was low and there was very low presence of welfare services. I felt that one way to motivate people is to show genuine interest in their welfare.
So we put in place certain mechanisms of compensation. Through the support of friends of the university, we secured 100 computer laptops deployed by Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, a member of the House of Representatives representing Ikeja Federal Constituency and Chairman of the House Committee on Finance. We distributed them to our staff. The computers were few, but the gesture was phenomenal because it is assisting our colleagues to maximize their productivity.
We have also intervened in transportation. Since the foundation of our university, no dean had been allocated a vehicle. We have 17 deans, so we felt let’s start from somewhere. We deployed four cars, which we distributed on the basis of ranking. It is a phased thing.
We have also increased the number of vehicles in our transportation fleet. We purchased two coastal buses. If you know how difficult it is to commute between our two campuses, you will understand that anything we do to ameliorate the problem our staff and students face in terms of transportation is significant. Those two buses have significantly reduced the strain.
What has changed again is that we have secured accreditation for some of our courses within this short period. We have also secured resource verification status for 14 high-impact programmes, including Cyber Security, Artificial Intelligence, Criminology and Security Studies, Social Work, and related programmes.
Within this short period, we have been able to attract a large quantum of funds from funding agencies, including TETFund and the Federal Government’s Needs Assessment. But the most significant is the allocation of ₦3 billion to the Federal University Lokoja for the establishment of a Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Cyber Sciences. That will be the hub of AI and cybersecurity training in the whole of North Central Nigeria. Kogi State connects 10 states and the entire North Central, meaning everybody in all geopolitical zones can easily gravitate towards that centre.
Q: In the next six months, what are we looking at?
A: We are looking at consolidation and externalizing the efforts we are making. Part of our significant achievements is the internationalization of FUL. We have reached out to universities in Egypt — Badr University in Cairo, University of Cairo, and the National Research Centre in Cairo — to complement our efforts. Where we have gaps in laboratories and equipment, we can link our students and lecturers to their laboratories virtually.
We have also reached agreements with institutions in South Africa, Canada, and the UK, and we are extending our reach to universities in China and Australia.
In the next six months, we envisage infrastructural development. The road infrastructure at FUL is pathetic, so we want to reconstruct the road to connect our main gate to the Agbaja end of our land so we can move the main gate and reduce accidents.
We are also partnering with funders for our transportation system. Under the Needs Assessment, we expect five 18-seater electric vehicles and five electric tricycles to be delivered. With private investors, we are looking to bring 50 mini electric buses to the university to comprehensively address transportation challenges.
We are also working to ensure all our programmes are ready for full accreditation, and we are transforming classroom infrastructure — furniture, laboratories, staff offices. Under the 2026 TETFund allocation, we have funds for faculty buildings, so in the next six months we will see more buildings.
On hostel development through public-private partnership, I am confident that at least two units of 1,200 bed spaces will spring up in FUL in the next six months. We have about 30,000 students but only 1,000 live on campus. Moving at least 50% on campus will reduce social tension with host communities and also reduce road accidents.
Q: As a member of the auspicious Omo Atata, what is your message on this occasion?
A: Ekinrin-Adde is a community of distinction, a community of “firsts”. It has produced great men and women who have contributed to local, state, national, and international development. Every Ekinrin-Adde Day is a platform for those God has blessed to come back and demonstrate love and gratitude.
This year, some of our illustrious sons and daughters have been honoured with the Omu Atata Hall of Fame. The message Ekinrin-Adde is preaching to the world is: appreciate your people and whatever contribution they have made. Recognition encourages them to do more and enlists others to contribute to community development.
I am glad to be home again this year to witness the 2026 Ekinrin-Adde Day. It has been fun all the way. You cannot come to Ekinrin-Adde and not enjoy the season. People are welcome from all over the world to participate in the activities.
End
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER, JUNE 27TH 2026)
