By Chinedu Okafor
The Oye Local Government Youth Forum has reaffirmed its continued support for the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Professor Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole, assuring him of its readiness to work closely with his administration for the growth of the institution.
The assurance was given during a courtesy visit by the leadership of the Forum to the Vice-Chancellor on Tuesday, March 17, 2026.
Speaking during the visit, the President of the Forum, Engr. Femi Fagbemi, described the Vice-Chancellor’s appointment as divinely ordained, expressing confidence in his ability to lead the university successfully.
He said the youths in the local government were pleased with his emergence as the 5th substantive Vice-Chancellor, noting that they believe he has the capacity to meet expectations and take the university to greater heights.
Fagbemi appreciated God for the appointment and prayed for wisdom and strength for the Vice-Chancellor to succeed in office, adding that the Forum had enjoyed a good working relationship with previous administrations of the university.
He noted that such collaboration had been further strengthened through the efforts of the Chief Security Officer, Captain (Rtd.) Raymond Bitanis, who has maintained a smooth relationship with youth leaders across the communities in Oye Local Government Area.
The Forum President commended the immediate past Vice-Chancellor for his support to the association, especially in the areas of admission and employment opportunities, while expressing hope that the present administration would build on such efforts.
According to him, the youths see the current administration as their own and are confident that it will deliver on its mandate, assuring the university management of the Forum’s willingness to contribute positively to the development of the university.
Responding, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ogunwole, thanked the delegation for the visit and their show of support, noting that their confidence in his administration was well appreciated.
He said the involvement of youths is very important to the growth of any community, stressing that no meaningful development can take place without their participation, while explaining that students play a major role in the economic growth of host communities through their daily spending.
Ogunwole added that communities must learn to work with students, as pushing them away would amount to losing valuable economic benefits, even as he expressed concern over the growing accommodation challenge in Oye community.
Professor Ogunwole assured that the university is already making plans to address the situation by building more hostels on campus and exploring Public-Private Partnership options, while also disclosing that a committee would be set up to look into accommodation issues, including facilities such as water, electricity, road access and security, as well as plans to introduce an online system for booking hostels.
The Don restated his administration’s readiness to maintain a good working relationship with the Youth Forum for the overall development of the university, as the visit also featured the presentation of a gift to him, with other members of the Forum’s executive in attendance.
Photo Credit:: Toye Fisher
