Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, has said his administration will begin the process of securing autonomous university status for the Iseyin campus of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), following a request by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Ahmed Raji.
Makinde gave the assurance at the commissioning and handover of the Alhaji Kazeem Owonikoko Building, a facility donated by Raji to L.A. Primary School, Oke Esa, Iseyin.
Responding to Raji’s appeal for the Iseyin campus to become a full-fledged university, the governor said the state government would approach the National Universities Commission (NUC) and conduct a sustainability study to determine the viability of the proposal.
“Regarding your request on the Iseyin Campus of LAUTECH becoming an autonomous university, we will go through the process. We will apply through the NUC, and I will carry out a sustainability study too. So, what you have asked for is done,” Makinde said.
Raji, who is the president of the Oke Ogun Development Consultative Forum (ODCF), commended the governor for infrastructure and educational projects across Iseyin and the wider Oke Ogun area.
He specifically praised the construction and rehabilitation of the Moniya–Iseyin Road, Oyo–Iseyin Road and Iseyin–Fapote–Ogbomoso Road, saying the projects had contributed to development in the zone.
The legal practitioner also lauded the establishment of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Renewable Natural Resources, a campus of LAUTECH, in Iseyin, while urging the state government to take the next step by granting it autonomous university status.
“When those who call themselves progressives were in government, they didn’t give us this. You came and gave us what they could not,” Raji said.
The building donated by the SAN was equipped with classrooms, offices, solar power, desks, chairs and modern learning gadgets. The facility was described at the event as a world-class educational infrastructure.
Speaking at the ceremony, Makinde thanked Raji for transforming the 92-year-old school, describing the donation as evidence that government alone could not meet all societal needs.
He called on well-to-do individuals to support education and community development, stressing that collective efforts were necessary to improve opportunities for children.
“This building can stand anywhere in the world. It shows that no government can do everything alone. Those who are blessed must support the education of our children,” the governor said.
Makinde also reiterated his commitment to governing Oyo State without discrimination based on political affiliation, maintaining that development rather than party identity guides his administration.
He urged Raji to sustain his philanthropic activities, noting that governments and political parties might change, but the state and its people would remain.
The governor further highlighted industrial development in Iseyin, particularly the sugar factory near Fasola Farms, which he said was undergoing test running.
According to him, improved road infrastructure had helped make the project viable and positioned Iseyin for wider recognition.
Also speaking at the event, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, commended Raji for the educational project and called on individuals to support the Makinde administration’s development efforts.
“I am happy to witness a day like this. This is a very good project from my respected colleague. I want to add that all of us need to join hands together to keep supporting Governor Seyi Makinde,” Fagbemi said.
Speaking on behalf of the Owonikoko family, Abduljelil Owonikoko, SAN, and the headteacher of L.A. Primary School, Mr Dauda, thanked the governor for prioritising education and supporting the development of Iseyin.
Those present included Deputy Governor Bayo Lawal; retired Supreme Court Justice Abdul Aboki; Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin; member representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa Federal Constituency, Shina Oyedeji; Secretary to the State Government, Musibau Babatunde; and Chief of Staff to the Governor, Akinwale Akinwole.
Other dignitaries included Head of Service Adenike Fashina, Deputy Chief of Staff Kazeem Adeniyi, Senior Executive Assistant to the Governor on General Duties Bayo Lawal, and Senior Advocates of Nigeria Niyi Akintola and Ahmed Raji.
Commissioners, members of the Oyo State Elders’ Council and Advisory Council, security commanders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, local government chairmen, and other stakeholders also attended the ceremony.
