Academic activities are set to commence at the Osi and Ilesha Baruba campuses of Kwara State University (KWASU) as the state government intensifies its infrastructural developments at the sites.

Dr. Mary Arinde, the state commissioner for Tertiary Education, revealed during an inspection tour of Osi in Ekiti Local Government Area that construction works in the town have reached 98% completion and are ready for use. She added that the campuses will officially welcome students for the 2024/2025 academic session.

The development underscores the government's commitment to expanding access to quality tertiary education in Kwara State.

The commissioner said that completion of the two campuses is another promise fulfilled by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, who she said had pledged not to abandon the projects whose skeletal works began under his predecessor.

“Students in the Department of Fine and Applied Arts under the new Faculty of Environmental Sciences are ready to begin lectures in Osi on Monday, November 18, while their counterparts from the Faculty of Agriculture are due in Ilesha Baruba Campus in January.

Dr. Arinde expressed satisfaction with the quality of the job by the contractor and the consultant.

“From mere looking at the campus buildings, you would see that it is a job well done. And the quality is superb. Looking at the structures, we are at the practical stage of completion. More than 98 per cent of work has been done so far”, she said.

“We are currently putting the finishing touches. The major thing left is the fixing of the surroundings, environment, including the road network, which are all ongoing.

“We have engineers and experienced consultants on this job. They are all doing well. Before the road networks started, they had to wait for the rains to subside. They are ready to put the asphalt on the roads now. Every place will also be interlocked to look beautiful.”

She hailed the Governor’s commitment to the projects, despite the challenges involved at the beginning.

“I give kudos to the Governor for doing so much. He has put in a lot of efforts and resources. In fact, the community initially lost hope that things like this could never come up again. But seeing these happening, they are overwhelmed with joy,” she said.

On her entourage were the Head of Osi Campus, Kwara State University (KWASU), Professor Binta A. Sulyman, and Chief Press Secretary to Governor Rafiu Ajakaye.

Professor Binta, on her part, explained that lectures will commence fully at the campus next week Monday for students of the Department of Fine and Applied Arts who are already on the ground with the staff.

She listed offices, studios, Conference Rooms, lecture rooms, Lecture Theaters, an Auditorium of 1,500/2000 seating capacity, Car parks, shops, boreholes, electricity transformers, Solar System street lights, students’ Recreational/Common Room, CBT Computer Center, and Arts Gallery, as some of the facilities that are either already in place or are in progress as well.

Professor Binta commended the Governor’s support, hard work, and commitment to the completion of the campus, an action she said has further endeared Him to the host communities who are all very happy and overwhelmed.

“Staff and students of Fine and Applied Arts were already on the ground. They have secured accommodations. So, by next week, we will start lectures here. By January, more departments are coming here,” she said.

Professor Binta said the completion of the KWASU’s new Faculty of Environmental Sciences will lead to economic growth of Osi and its environs.

“I want to say a big thank you to His Excellency, the working Governor. He has been very committed to the completion of this project. The communities here are very happy to see the project completed,” she said.

She listed the other academic programmes that will begin sessions in January include Estate Management, Urban and Regional Development, Geography, Architecture, Quantity Survey, and Building, among others.