Kunle Adelabu
-16,315 students graduate from LASPOTECH
The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has stated that Polytechnic graduates are valuable to national development and should not be seen as inferior to their University counterparts.
Sanwo-Olu, who is the Moderator to the Lagos State Polytechnic(LASPOTECH), also called for proper positioning of the Polytechnic education in his speech at the 27th joint Convocation ceremony of 2017/18 and 2018/19 academic sessions held at the Convocation Ground on the main campus of the institution in Ikorodu on Thursday, March 12, 2020.
A total number of 16,315 students in combined sets of 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 academic sessions, who completed their programmes in the Ordinary National Diploma (OND) and Higher National Diploma (HND), were graduated by the institution, with 598 graduands finishing with distinction.
Also, 5,332 graduands finished with Upper Credit, 8,268 with Lower Credit and 2,117 got Pass grade.
The Governor charged the graduands to see their periods of learning in the polytechnic as more than just an effort to obtain certificates and urged them to deploy their knowledge and skills towards the advancement of development and prosperity wherever they find themselves.
He said the technical skills received by the graduates must never be seen as a second fiddle to university education, stressing that the polytechnic certificates had equal value and can serve as alternative to university degrees.
“On the education landscape, polytechnics occupy a very important position. They are seen as the bastions of technological innovation and development. As Nigeria strives to join the league of industrialised nations, we must develop industrial capacity, which also means that we must be able to offer to the world goods and services that are of greater economic value”, he stated.
“Our polytechnics must be properly positioned for these opportunities. Technical education must never be seen as playing second fiddle to university education; both must be seen as equally-placed alternatives for young people on the journey to a productive future. My administration will not allow the Lagos State Polytechnic to lag behind in any way”, Sanwo-Olu assured.
“Our vision is to catalyse the development of this polytechnic and make it a world-class tertiary institution that will produce graduates who know and are confident of their place in the demanding world of the 21st century”.
As the graduands were leaving the school to pursue different career paths, Sanwo-Olu charged them to prepare for opportunities that could accelerate their professional elevation after school, stressing that opportunities often hide in the midst of challenges and difficulties.
“Self-development is critical. Stay hungry for knowledge and never rest on your oars. Many of the things people complain about contain opportunities for enterprising people to make a difference,” the Governor said.
Sanwo-Olu also advised the graduands to imbibe positive attitude and show dedication in any area they find themselves, pointing out that nobody would go far in endeavour without character and integrity, which he described as ingredients for a successful career.
He said: “I congratulate you on the successful completion of your learning. You have paid your dues and are now being rewarded with certificates that attest to what you have gained here in terms of knowledge and skills.
“In Lagos State, we will continue to invest heavily in the provision of affordable and quality education in all of our public schools. Let me remind you all that education is one of the cardinal planks of our vision, known as the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda”.
To strengthen the capacity of the school management in administration, Sanwo-Olu announced that his Government would build a befitting administrative block and a mini fire station in LASPOTECH.
The Governor added there would be a replica of Public Private Partnership (PPP)-driven accommodation programme in LASPOTECH as currently being done at Lagos State University (LASU).
While stating that welfare of the institution staff is a priority to the government, Gov. Sanwo-Olu also appealed to all the parties in the crisis that threatened the peace and academic activities for some years to wait for the report of a panel setup to look into the matter.
“Towards resolving the crisis over the implementation of CONTISS 15 migration, the State Government had inaugurated a Visitation Panel to look into the remote and immediate causes of the crisis, and recommend a fair and satisfactory course of action. I, therefore, urge all the parties to the crisis to follow the path of peace and await the Government’s position on the matter”.
The Rector of LASPOTECH, Mr. Samuel Sogunro, stated that the 27th convocation is his last as the 10th Rector of the leading Polytechnic in the country.
While praising the Governor for demonstrating “unflinching support” for the school in its journey to attain excellence, he added that the governor’s presence at the ceremony served as a boost to the Polytechnic community that the government is more committed to the institution’s development.
“Your presence at this auspicious occasion is a boost to our confidence as it reassures all and sundry of your commitment to the development of Tertiary Education, especially technological education in the state as entrenched in the T-H-E-S-E agenda of the Government. We are most humble by this gesture”.
He said that additional 15 new programmes are being floated to add to the already 66 programmes that the institution is currently running, adding that five new directorates have also been created for efficient system and functional service delivery.
Sogunro said the timely release of the school’s subvention and continuous investment in infrastructure by successive administrations in the State had increased its Webometrics ranking as the 5th Best Polytechnic in the country. He added that efforts are being made to move the polytechnic up in the ranking.
Chairman, Local Government Service Commission and former Head of Service, Lagos State, Alhaji Babatunde Rotinwa was bestowed and decorated as a Fellow of the institution during the ceremony.
Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, OFR, the founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti and the second outstanding personality that was scheduled to be conferred with the same award was absent.
