The Vice Chancellor of the newly established Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences, Iyin Ekiti, Prof. Gbenga Aribisala, has restated the institution’s commitment to its mandate of producing graduates who will put Nigeria on the global map in terms of technology and academic excellence.
Aribisala, who said that the university was ready to partner with individuals, groups, and organisations to achieve the needed development, said, “We have started laying the foundation for meaningful changes in technology, and we want people to support us to achieve the lofty dream.”
The VC, who spoke during a programme in Ado Ekiti on Monday, said, “Nigeria has the potential to be like other developed countries in terms of technology. We can also produce so many things that can enhance the quality of life without necessarily importing them. In fact, we can do it”.
He said that FUTES was being designed in a manner “to produce graduates who are passionate about meaningful development and not about white caller jobs. The present world requires people who are technologically driven.
“Part of the measures to achieve these are some of the courses put in place, like Robotics, Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, Data Science, and Mechatronics, apart from other conventional courses.
“We are ready to create knowledge, give back to society, and make life meaningful through academic excellence, help our students see reason in academic excellence, and place the country on a sound footing in terms of technology,” he said.
Aribisala also renewed a call on individuals, groups, and organisations who were ready to build hostels, halls, classrooms, and other necessary infrastructures to help the university to show up, assuring that such would be named after them or placed in partnership.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu, on February 20, 2025, assented to two separate bills establishing FUTES, Iyin Ekiti, and Federal University of Agriculture and Development Studies, Iragbiji, Osun State.
Tinubu, according to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said that “the specialised institutions will address the educational needs of the populace while driving research and innovation and contributing to the country’s overall economic growth and development.
He said, “The institutions will serve as training grounds for developing agriculture, science, and technology professionals and enhancing Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global economy”.
The president, in March, appointed Senator Binta Garba as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairperson of the Governing Council of the university.
Onanuga described Garba as “a seasoned politician, businesswoman, and administrator who represented the Adamawa North Senatorial District in the Senate from 2015 to 2019 and served consecutively in the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2011.”
