By Daud Olatunji
ABEOKUTA—THE Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Prof. Kolawole Salako, has lamented that the institution is in dire need of more staff across all strata, adding that the students and staff of the institution were facing epileptic power supply and inadequate hostel facilities among others.

Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Prof. Kolawole Salako

The Vice-Chancellor said the institution which was established on January 1, 1988 with five colleges was now having 10 colleges and consequently, there was need for more facilities and staff to take care of the recent development.

Prof. Salako said this at the Senate Chamber of the institution while briefing newsmen as part of the 30th anniversary of the institution.

He said: “We are making representation to the Federal Government for approval to recruit new staff in our areas of need. The staff needed cut across strata. Furthermore, the university management has held meetings with staff on the need to have positive orientation to work.

“The road leading to our university from Camp junction is bad and has been a nightmare for vehicle owners. The same applies to the roads leading to our Institute of Human Resources and Development either from main campus or from Iberekodo.

“Our hostels are grossly inadequate. The efforts of the Federal Government through various financial interventions are commendable. We need endowments and private sector interventions,” he said.

On the fate of management students at the specialised institutions, the Vice-Chancellor  appealed to the Federal Government to rescind its decision on the scrapping of management science courses in specialised institutions of which FUNAAB is among.

Salako, who said the institution has not admitted students for management courses such as Accounting, Banking and Finance, among others, for about two academic sessions, explained that the fate of the undergraduates and the lecturers in the institution’s College of Management Sciences was hanging.

Salako said: “We are talking to the stakeholders, we believe they will listen to us. It is a headache for us to disband the staff.

“Concerning the issue of running of management courses here, it would have been better if we had not started. We are trying our best to bring back the college. But the issue is beyond the vice-chancellor.”