The Youth Arise Movement has rejected the renaming of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, to Omololu Olunloyo Polytechnic, a move recently announced by the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde.
In a statement issued by the National Coordinator of the group, Comrade Ademola Babatunde Abidemi, the movement acknowledged Governor Makinde’s intention to honour the late Dr. Omololu Olunloyo, who was the first rector of the institution.
However, they expressed deep concern over what they describe as an attempt to “ridicule the legacy” of the historic institution.
The youth group appreciates the Governor’s will to immortalise the late Olunloyo, but renaming the Polytechnic is not the appropriate route.
They noted that the identity and core values of the Polytechnic must be preserved.
The group urged the Oyo State House of Assembly, which they described as the true representatives of the people, to reject any legislation or action supporting the name change.
Instead, they suggested alternative means of honouring Olunloyo, such as naming a major road or the iconic Cocoa House in his memory.
They warned that the decision to rename the institution could have far-reaching negative implications that outweigh its symbolic intentions, and appealed to the Governor to reconsider his stance in the interest of preserving the institution’s integrity.
The statement read, “The Polytechnic, Ibadan is known globally for its impactful technical knowledge and meaningful impact on students and graduates in and outside Nigeria.
“It has the structural, intellectual, human resources and capacity to become a University. The renowned citadel of technological innovations has produced great icons over the years.
“The image of this institution must be preserved by the Governor and all stakeholders as enshrined in the name it bears.
“The difficulty of acceptability by foreign institutions of the students who may wants to further their education abroad should be considered significantly as it will be a set back the majority of such graduates.,” they said.
According to them, “The Governor is therefore humbly urged to invest more in infrastructure and human capital development in the institution to be able to compete favourably amongst other institutions in the country rather than the unnecessary focus on name change. The problem of underfunding and lack of support for research and innovation should also be addressed by the Governor.
“The proposed name in the global age of artificial intelligence will make the institution look like an elementary school recently established. It is one record that the impact the late Dr Olunloyo is arguably one of the worst and the institution experienced stunted growth under the late Governor.
“So we cannot but wonder the real justification for the change of the name of the institution after Dr. Olunloyo.”
The youth movement explained that governor Seyi Makinde has not highlighted and mentioned the significant contributions of late Olunloyo to the institution to warrant the re-naming of the institution after him. Governor Seyi Makinde will have uphill task convincing the students, parents, alumnis and stakeholders on why the institution should be renamed after late Olunloyo.
“We urge the Oyo State House of Assembly as the true representatives of the people to reject any attempt by the Governor to ridicule the great institution by renaming same after late Olunloyo.
“We suggest that roads, or cocoa house should be named after late Olunloyo and not the Polytechnic Ibadan.
“We plead with the Governor not to undermine the core values of the great Polytechnic Ibadan to score cheap political goals,” the group added.
