Eric Patrick
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, announced a N2 billion intervention fund for infrastructure development at the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Ojere, Abeokuta.
The announcement was made on Tuesday during the 15th combined convocation ceremony of the institution, covering academic sessions from 2015/2016 to 2023/2024.
In addition to the infrastructure boost, Governor Abiodun revealed a cash award of N2.5 million for each of the best graduating students across the nine sessions.
“For the best graduating student for each session, there is also a cash prize of N2.5 million,” the governor declared, receiving loud applause from attendees.
Abiodun described the convocation as a celebration of resilience, recalling the challenges faced by the institution when his predecessor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, attempted to relocate the polytechnic to Ipokia and rename it Ogun State Polytechnic.
According to the governor, the move significantly crippled the institution, reducing its student population from over 30,000 to about 5,000.
“The challenge of returning this polytechnic to its glorious path was one of our administration’s earliest tests.
“But through a fact-finding committee and several engagements with the National Board for Technical Education, we successfully restored the institution’s credibility and operations.”
He noted that enrollment figures are gradually improving, with student numbers now at 13,000.
Reaffirming his administration’s commitment to educational development, Governor Abiodun unveiled several capital projects to be undertaken on campus.
“Let me use this opportunity to unveil some of the intervention projects that we want to embark upon in the polytechnic. We shall be building a 500-seater ultramodern lecture theatre,” he said.
“We shall also be constructing the road leading to the auditorium of the polytechnic, a well-equipped modern library, a building for the Accountancy Department, and several internal road projects—all of these interventions stand at N2 billion.”
Addressing the 51,000 graduating students, Abiodun charged them to take on the world with courage and purpose.
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“The future may have its challenges, but it also holds endless possibilities. You must therefore be daring, innovative, and resilient.
“Let the knowledge and values you acquired here in the polytechnic be your driving force to be change agents… Go and impact your environment, the country, and the world at large,” he said.
In his convocation address, MAPOLY Rector Dr. Babatunde Jolaoso expressed gratitude to the governor for his continued support.
He said his administration, though only six months old, had already achieved major milestones, including securing full transmission rights for MAPOLY Campus Radio 99.7FM and settling a N76 million bank debt.
Dr. Jolaoso also appealed to the government for increased support in funding accreditation exercises and completing critical projects, such as the abandoned student hostel and lecture room buildings.
Chairman of the Governing Council, Emeritus Prof. Kamaldeen Balogun, lauded the Abiodun administration for providing the leadership and backing necessary to reposition the institution.
Delivering the convocation lecture, Chairperson of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Dr. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, spoke on “Diaspora Perspectives and the Influence of STEM in the Globalised World of Today.”
She urged Nigerian youths to pursue legal migration pathways and cautioned against irregular routes that often lead to tragic outcomes.
“We’ve heard heart-wrenching stories of many Nigerians who lost their lives or became victims of slavery and forced prostitution simply because they didn’t follow legal migration processes,” she warned.
Dr. Dabiri-Erewa encouraged MAPOLY to develop partnerships with Nigerians in the diaspora to leverage global opportunities that can boost the institution’s development.