By Kolade Larewaju

THE Alake of Egbaland;Oba Adedotun Gbadebo asked the Federal Government to change the status of the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta [UNAAB] to a poly-academic institution adding that the host community was ready for such change.

Speaking while receiving the Chairman and members of the Presidential Visitation Panel to UNAAB led by Prof. Ochapa Onazi on a courtesy call in his palace in Abeokuta, Oba Gbadebo said “facilities that are currently available at the Federal medical centre, Idi Aba, the Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Aro and the Federal College of Education, Osiele, would conveniently provide the required infrastructure for a smooth take-off, of our long desired conventional university” Oba Gbadebo also used the opportunity to canvass for a take off grant for the Institution which he said was not given to it at inception adding that given such grant would still help the university in its developmental programmes.

He said “the Chairman will appreciate the fact that it is the tradition of the Federal Government to release take-off grant to newly created universities, but records at our disposal indicate the contrary, in the case of the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, when it was established in 1988.