... Targets 50 Electric Buses to Ease Transportation Challenges

The Vice Chancellor of Federal University Lokoja, Professor Gbenga Solomon Ibileye, has taken another significant step toward strengthening academic administration with the distribution of official vehicles to four (4) faculty deans, marking what many described as a historic milestone in the institution's development.

Speaking during the symbolic handover ceremony, Professor Ibileye said the initiative forms part of the university management's commitment to repositioning and strengthening academic leadership while easing transportation challenges faced by management staff in the discharge of their official responsibilities.

The Vice Chancellor explained that management invited the deans to formally take delivery of the vehicles as a modest intervention aimed at supporting their work and improving administrative efficiency across the faculties.

According to him, every meaningful transformation begins with deliberate and modest efforts. "One thing that should be clear to all of us is that we must continue to make modest efforts, and those efforts will always reflect in our determination to make this institution a university we can all be proud of. We cannot do everything at once, but we will continue to move forward steadily," Ibileye said.

Professor Ibileye noted that the vehicles are not personal property of the occupants but official vehicles attached to the offices of the deans.

"Let us emphasize that these vehicles are not for individuals. They belong to the offices occupied by the deans. They are institutional assets meant to facilitate the effective discharge of responsibilities," he stated.

The Vice Chancellor further assured members of the university community that management would gradually extend the gesture to all faculties.

He disclosed that the four (4) beneficiary faculties are among the oldest faculties in the university and expressed confidence that the institution would continue to witness steady infrastructural and administrative growth.

Professor Ibileye revealed that the Federal Ministry of Education had commended the university for its foresight and innovation in embracing electric mobility.

According to him, plans are already underway for the procurement of 50 electric mini buses to further improve transportation within the university community.

On his part, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic, Professor S. D. Musa, who spoke at the event, commended Professor Ibileye for what he described as remarkable achievements recorded within a short period in office, noting that the administration has demonstrated uncommon commitment to improving staff welfare and institutional development.

At the conclusion of the allocation process conducted through a ballot system by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic, the Faculty of Arts emerged with a black Toyota Sienna, while the Faculty of Social Sciences received a Toyota Camry 2010 model. The Faculty of Life Sciences picked a Toyota Camry 2012 model, while the Faculty of Physical Sciences received a blue Toyota Sienna.

The beneficiary deans included Professor Ochi Abdulrahman Suberu of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Mohammed Nasirudeen Suleiman of the Faculty of Life Sciences, Professor Moses Niyi Gbenga Omofa of the Faculty of Social Sciences, and Professor Olalekan Salawu of the Faculty of Physical Sciences.

In what became one of the defining moments of the ceremony, Professor Ibileye remarked that Federal University Lokoja was perhaps the only university he knew where deans operated without official vehicles. "This is the only university I know where deans do not have vehicles. That story has changed from today," he declared to applause from participants.

Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Ochi Abdulrahman Suberu, expressed appreciation to the Vice Chancellor and management for the gesture.

He described the allocation as a demonstration of responsive leadership and pledged that the deans would justify the confidence reposed in them. "To whom much is given, much is expected. We assure management that we will continue to support the vision of moving the university to greater heights," he said.

The event underscored the administration's ongoing efforts to provide the necessary support structures for academic leaders while laying the foundations for a more efficient and globally competitive Federal University Lokoja. See more pictures here

© Directorate of Strategic Communication and Corporate Documentation
Federal University Lokoja