Bello urges FG to upgrade FCE Okene to varsity

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has appealed to the Federal Government to upgrade the Federal College of Education Okene to a federal university of education.

Speaking at the weekend during the 15th combined convocation ceremony of the college in Okene , Bello said the college had the staff and infrastructure to assume such a status, adding that the college in the last four decades had contributed immensely to the training of qualified teachers.

He commended the Provost, Dr Iyela Ajayi, for his service which he said had singled out the college as one of the best in the country.

The Federal College of Education Okene was established as Federal Advanced Teachers’ College in 1974. It has long been offering degrees in programme affiliation with the University of Ibadan

In his address, the Chairman of the Governing Council of the institution, Engr. Sa’ad Abubakar, said within the eight years of the provost’s administration, the college had enjoyed peace and uninterrupted academic calendar.

Earlier, the provost Iyela Ajayi appealed to Federal Government to provide more funding, saying the internally generated revenue could not do much in the face of competing demands.