Students’ transportation: KWASU to receive 25 buses from foreign companies by 2025

… as 71 bag First Class degrees

By Mosunmola Ayobami, Ilorin

In a move to address students’ transportation challenges, the Vice Chancellor, Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, Professor Shaykh-Luqman Jimoh, has disclosed that the institution will partner some foreign companies to supply 25 buses by 2025.

The VC made this disclosure at the 12th convocation press conference held at the University campus on Tuesday.

The VC also revealed that the citadel of learning will construct more hostel facilities to accommodate more students within the school campus.

“I must also inform you that we are partnering with foreign companies who will supply us 25 buses of 30 seaters. This will arrive by God’s grace in January 2025 to ease students movement on the campus, ” he said.

He said the institution is set to turn out a total of 71 First Class graduates among 6,374 first degree graduating students during its 12th convocation ceremony, scheduled to take place on Saturday.

According to the Vice Chancellor, 1,828 students bagged Second Class Upper Division, and 3,501 had Second Class Lower Division, while 974 got Third Class in the 2023/2024.

He added that a total of 6,891 graduated with postgraduate degrees for 2023/2024 academic session, even as 49 bagged PhD while 468 had Masters degrees.

“The Institution is planning to tackle transportation challenge among its students by building more hostel facilities inside the university campus, adding that the transportation challenge had remained because students live outside the campus”.

“We have recently completed a l04-bedspace hostel and the Chairman of KWASU’s Governing Council, Professor Abdulganiyu Ambali, OON, will commission the building this Thursday. KWASU has also partnered with investors to realise the Students’ Smart city hostel project which will deliver 25,000 bedspaces in the first phase. Currently, work is on-going to deliver at first, 8,700 bed spaces within the next few months.

“As a university desirous of producing total graduates, one of our goals is to secure more accommodation facilities on-campus for our students. This is one way we can ensure our students have access to all round university culture. The inadequate on-campus hostel facility was another of the challenges listed last year, but we have explored private partnership to solve this. We hope more private organisations will partner with us to drive the research and infrastructure components of this great institution”, he said.

Professor Luqman said that the University has been in the news for her strides in the electric vehicle conversion and, lately, the hybrid CNG conversion.

“As an entrepreneurial and community development university that also advocates sustainable environments, KWASU considers these achievements as contributing to cleaner environments for all, with the added benefit of boosting the economic growth of the institution and society in general”.

The VC also commended the Kwara State Government for committing funds to complete the Osi and Ilesha-Baruba campuses of the University, adding that the campuses have lecture halls, classrooms, laboratories, and offices among other amenities that will ensure that the campuses are fully functional.

He reiterated that management of the institution will not condone indiscipline and internet fraud among its students, stressing that students found in such untoward behaviour have always been shown the way out of the institution.