I will return University to Ifaki Ekiti – Bamidele

Labour Party’s governorship candidate in Ekiti state, Hon. Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, has taken a swipe at his estranged political associate and incumbent Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, over what he called the governor’s hurried educational policies.
Bamidele attributed this to why Fayemi, in less than a year in office, changed the names of some existing tertiary institutions in Ekiti and left them without proper funding.
He spoke on Monday in Ifaki Ekiti, one of the towns affected by Fayemi’s educational policy of collapsing all state-owned universities into one, including the defunct University of Science and Technology, Ifaki Ekiti.
Bamidele, who promised to return the university to Ifaki Ekiti within the first quarter of his first year in government, also added that this would come with proper autonomy and adequate funding.
Residents had earlier complained to the politician of how the relocation of the university in 2012 to Ado Ekiti and renamed Ekiti State University, is affecting commercial activities in the town.
According to Bamidele: “The university that was taken away from Ifaki Ekiti shall be returned in our first quarter in office and commercial activities shall be returned to your domain.
“Ask the current administration what it has achieved with their hurried educational policies that took away the USTI from you.
“The only thing is that they have left the state-owned institutions worse than they met them.
“As a former student leader, who has understanding of university administration over the years, my government will return your university to you with proper funding and full autonomy.
Bamidele said his government would further expose Ekiti State to global educational opportunities instead of narrowing it as being done by Fayemi’s government, despite Ekiti State’s thirst for knowledge.
Bamidele also promised to revive the state-owned radio station once located in Ifaki Ekiti but abandoned by the current administration.
The monarch of the town, HRH Oba Gabriel Agbaje, who earlier hosted Bamidele along with his team of campaigners, assured him of support from Ifaki Ekiti.
Agbaje also acknowledged Bamidele’s capability for the governorship job when he noted: “I believe Bamidele is a man of great intelligence.
“I first met him through a book he wrote and distributed to us the monarchs in Ekiti and I’m sure he is capable of doing this job.”