Foundation laying ceremony for the new Faculty of Arts building

Gbenro Adesina/Ibadan

The Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, UI, Professor Abel Idowu Olayinka recently laid the foundation of a six storey building in the institution’s Faculty of Arts, which is expected to provide classrooms, offices and utility rooms.

The construction of the new building which will house one 200 Capacity Lecture Hall, three 150 Capacity Lecture Halls, Lecturers Offices, Toilets, Utility Rooms, Service Rooms, etc, was awarded to UYK Nigeria Limited at the cost of N600m.

Speaking, Olayinka said that the Faculty of Arts does not have proper infrastructure including sufficient office spaces and lecture halls stressing that the old building in the faculty was put in place in 1974 and is now grossly inadequate for both the staff and students.

He said, “As a candidate for the position of Vice-Chancellor in 2014/2015, I went round this university to ask our colleagues what they considered their most pressing needs. The experience was very revealing. The two faculties with the most acute shortage of office space for staff and lecture rooms for students were Arts and Education. That of the Faculty of Education is being addressed with the construction of a new building although we have been having some challenges with the main contractor. A new contractor has mobilized to site and we are very hopeful that this Project would be delivered soon. Apart from the Faculty Library which was opened a few years ago, the last major building constructed at the Faculty of Arts was in 1973/1974 session; yet the population of students and staff as well as the number of Departments has increased substantially ever since then”.

He continued, “Knowing fully well that there is an acute shortage of staff offices and lecture rooms, it did not take so much persuasion for me to insist that we should devote our entire 2015/2016 TETFund Capital Project to this new facility, which we hope shall be a legacy Project”.

Olayinka appealed to the contractor to ensure value for money by delivering quality service as well as finishing the construction of the building in record time.

Reacting, the Chairman and the General Managing Director of UYK Nigeria Limited, Alhaji Usman Kansila Yahaya, who promised that the project would be completed in August, assured that it would be of high standard.