Date: 2018-12-26

A first class traditional ruler in Kwara state, Oba Abdulraheem Adeoti, and Cherubim and Seraphim Church Worldwide, have decried the low number of tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

Oba Adeoti, who is the Olomu of Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara state added that the number of tertiary institutions especially universities does not match the exponential growth in the country's population.

He therefore urged religious organisations and well-to-do individuals to complement government's effort by investing in the education sector.

The monarch said this in Omu-Aran at foundation laying of the proposed Moses Orimolade University (MOU).

Cherubim and Seraphim Church worldwide is establishing the university.

Oba Adeoti urged the owners of the institution to make it a specialized university for ease acquisition of license from the National Universities Commission (NUC).

He said: "Though C&S members are happy today, but the entire community of Omu-Aran is happier. We are happy that this is happening in our own time. There is no doubt that the existing number of universities in the country cannot match with the explosion in Nigerian population.

"I promise you all here that my chiefs and I will continue to monitor the progress of work for speedy completion of the project. We are laying this building on Jesus Christ who is our solid rock. I believe he who started the good work will complete it."

Spiritual father of the church, Most Rev Samuel Abidoye said the church would commit all the resources at its disposal for accelerated completion of the project.

He added that the project of a college building is expected to gulp a sum of N300 million, adding the construction of the college would last for 18 months.

He said that all the church leaders "have committed to a minimum personal contribution, urging other church members to donate minimum of N1,000 each towards the construction.

In his remark, Chairman, Planning Committee, MOU, Thomas Fakile agreed that Nigeria needed more universities that would offer quality training.

"There are limited spaces for students in the Nigerians universities. Apart from this, the quality of education in the country has dropped drastically. We have a situation that some of the products from the Nigerians universities cannot compete favourably with their counterparts in other parts of the world.

"Another issue is that in the next 15 years the population of Nigeria is likely to double according to the United Nations statistics. If the universities do not grow correspondingly with the population, it means we have educational problem.

"Even what the C&S is doing currently is like a drop in the ocean. As a matter of fact, this should be the church's second or third university. If anyone is interested in assisting the institution, we will welcome it. But I must tell you we do have an educational crisis in our hands in the country," said Fakile, an engineer.

Fakile said the church is desirous of seeing the project come to fruition in record time, adding that "we are committed to the speedy take off of the university. Other faith realized that gap in our tertiary education close to 20 years ago, C$S church realized this belatedly. The church is just waking up and because of that we are in a hurry to catch up in recouping our losses."