The Vice Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Prof. Olugbenga Ige, has expressed optimism that the long-abandoned Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Hostel Complex in the institution will soon be completed.
The Vice Chancellor shared his hope on Thursday, after paying an unscheduled visit to the workers at the hostel site.
He noted that when completed, the project would not only add to the number of hostels in the University but also go a long way in actualizing the wish of the University Management to accommodate more students on campus.
In his words, “My wish is that this project should be completed as quickly as possible. If this is completed, in a short while, we will have a high percentage of our students living on campus. The Management is making efforts to encourage as many partners, vendors, consultants, and contractors as possible to assist us in building on-campus hostel accommodation for our students; and that is why the efforts of the Niger Delta Development Commission at reactivating and completing this massive project are commendable.”
While thanking the contractor and workers for using high-quality materials, the Vice Chancellor added, “I am happy that work is going on in all facets; tiling, electrical, windows, and door fittings are also being done. I’m sure that the team and the contractor working here will complete and deliver this project within the shortest possible time. Upon completion, this project will not only add value to the infrastructure in the University, but it will also bring in many students to live on campus.”
Prof. Ige, who added that the completion of the NDDC hostel would lead to a more conducive living environment for students, thanked the Federal Government and the current leadership of the NDDC for reactivating the project, saying that the institution was lucky to be among the institutions benefitting from the intervention.
It should be noted that the NDDC Hostel complex, with an estimated capacity for one thousand beds spaces, has been abandoned for more than 10 years despite reaching about 60 percent completion. Prof. Ige said, “This project has been on for a very long time, but shortly before the end of 2023, this contract was reactivated and since then, work has been going on vigorously and we are happy about it.”
He also expressed optimism that another long-abandoned Hostel complex being built by the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) would be revisited and completed by the Commission.
