Kunle Adelabu
-Former Governor of State of Osun, Ogbeni Aregbesola to deliver Convocation lecture next Tuesday.
A total number of 16, 315 students of the Lagos State Polytechnic will receive their graduation certificates for the National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in various disciplines at a combined 27th Convocation ceremony for the 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 Academic Sessions.
The Convocation ceremony, which is slated on Thursday, March 12, 2020, at the LASPOTECH Ikorodu Main Campus, would be the last one that the incumbent Rector, Mr Samuel Sogunro who is the 10th Rector of the institution, would be conducting as he is prepared to complete his tenure in May this year.
While 598 students would be awarded Distinction grade, 5,332, 8, 268 and 2, 117 students would be presented with Upper Credit, Lower Credit and Pass honour classifications.
Mr Sogunro, while addressing pressman at the pre-convocation press conference held at the Council Chamber on the institution premises on Tuesday, March 5, 2020, said that:
“The Polytechnic of excellence will present a total number of 16, 315 well-groomed, adequately trained and highly-enterprising graduands who have completed their National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes in various disciplines needed for the nation’s socio-economic development, and have acquired at least a vocational skill each at the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Skills Acquisition (CESA)”.
He also stated that the institution will confer honorary fellowship awards on two eminent individuals– Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, OFR, the founder of the Afe Babalola University, and Alhaji Babatunde Rotinwa, Chairman, Lagos State Local Government Service Commission and a former Head of Service of Lagos State.
While giving his stewardship of account in the last five years, Mr Sogunro stated that his administration established the LASPOTECH 10.9FM radio station to serve as training ground for students studying Mass Communications.
He stated that full broadcasting operation of the station which, according to him, has been permitted to stream live on the Polytechnic’s website for the coverage of the Convocation Lecture and other ceremonies, would soon fully go on air.
He also announced that the institution has attained technological breakthrough with three inventions.
“I am pleased to announce to you that the Polytechnic has secured Patent Rights for three inventions by the Schools of Engineering and Pure and Applied Science – Fuel less Generator, Automatic Car Jack and Bio-Digester.
“Work is at an advanced stage on test-running of traffic lights control designs.
“The Global ranking of the Polytechnic by Webometrics placed LASPOTECH as 5th best Polytechnic in Nigeria. In order to improve on current ranking, the Polytechnic management has constituted ranking committees at the various Schools and departments to ensure that the entire members of staff align with the Polytechnic’s vision on the global ranking”, he stated.
While stating that the 66 programmes currently being run by the Polytechnic were re-accredited in September 2018, he added that the institution has also secured re-accreditation and approval for resource accreditation for National Diploma in Photography.
“Furthermore, this administration is poised to float another 15 new programmes that are need – based”, Mr Sogunro stated.
According to the Rector, the new programmes are Transportation Planning Management, Welding and Fabrication Technology, Interior Design, Fashion and Clothing Technology, Mineral and Petroleum Resources Engineering, Nutrition and Diabetics, Foundry Technology, Polymer Science Technology and Environmental Health and Safety Technology.
Others are Home and Rural Economics, Agric. Business Management, Library and Information Science, Statistics and Leisure and Tourism.
Expressing his regrets, Mr Sogunro stated that the crisis that characterized better part of his tenure prevented him from achieving some of his plans.
Among these regrets include the failure to transform the Polytechnic to a University as announced about three years ago and the institution’s plan to use the lands acquired at Gberigbe for a massive agricultural venture.
Furthermore, he stated that the 27th Convocation Dinner/Variety Show would come up on Saturday, March 7 at the Ikeja Airport Hotel, while Convocation Lecture would hold on Tuesday, March 10 at the School of Agriculture Auditorium of the institution at the Ikorodu Main campus.
This year’s lecture, titled “Infrastructure Deficit and Technological Development in Nigeria: The Role of Technical Education”, would be delivered by the Honourabe Minister for Interior and former Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
