Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, MAPOLY, Abeokuta, Ogun State, has been upgraded to a university.
It is now Moshood Abiola University of Science and Technology, MAUST.
This latest development followed the ratification by the National Universities Commission, NUC, which was announced on Monday.
The Executive Secretary, NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, officially announced the take-off of the university in Abuja at the formal presentation of the school’s recognition letter to Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State.
Rasheed said that the university would be recognised as the 45th State University in the country.
MAUST therefore makes the third university in Ogun State.
Said he: “Ogun State is the intellectual capital of black Africa.
“From the NUC records, Olabisi Onabanjo University and Tai Solarin University of Education are two state universities but the addition of the University of Science and Technology will make it three.
“What this shows is that the governor is really doing well as he has the education of the state at heart.
“Beginning from July 3, 2017, the Polytechnic has now been recognised as the 45th state university in Nigeria.”
The NUC executive secretary said the university was not created for access alone but the integrity and sanctity of the degree in Nigeria university.
“Our qualities are of international standard, we have high standard in the quality of education in Nigeria.
“We are still working to review our curriculum to make it more competitive and ensure that it is of international best standards to solve our problems.
“We want to graduate students who are familiar with our culture, tradition, history, science; and we want those graduates to be citizens of the world who can fit in anywhere.
“We want to assure Nigerians that the quality of our degree is quite okay and we are working to improve on it,” he added.
In his response, Amosun said for any nation to get it right, the tertiary institutions must do well.
He said the upgrade of the Polytechnic to a university was done through the enabling law of the Ogun State House of Assembly.
He gave the assurance that the university would be a reference point as the government of the state was committed to leaving no stone unturned to take the university to its greater height.
He said plans were already on ground to fund the school adequately.
“As we are upgrading the Polytechnic to a University, we were earlier in Kaduna today to establish a new Polytechnic because we don’t want the Polytechnic to die like that. So, we are relocating the Polytechnic to Ipokia area of the state.
“The University of Science and Technology will now be in Abeokuta.”
The governor said a technical committee had been brainstorming in the last six years on the way forward to bring this to fruition.
He added that the university would also help to develop the human capital that would improve the industrial hub of the state.
