Kunle Adelabu
-Royal fathers assure institution of support
The authority of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) has appealed to royal fathers in Ikorodu to assist them in ensuring that residents of lkorodu Division take advantage of the 70% admission allocated to indigene students.
Chairman of the 12th Governing Council of the Polytechnic, Prof. Rasheed Kola Ojikutu, made the revelation when the members of the Council and the institution’s management team paid courtesy visit on the Adeboruwa of Igbogbo, His Royal Majesty, Oba (Barr.) Semiudeen Orimadegun Kasali and the Ranodu of Imota, His Royal Majesty, Oba Ajibade Bakare Agoro, FCA at their respective palaces on Friday, September18, 2020.
Among the Polytechnic’s delegation at the visits were members of the Governing Council, Prince Segun Ogunlewe, Dr Mrs Awonuga Abiola Olawunmi, Bldr. Saabi, Olakunle Alaba, Mr Habeeb Aileru, Mrs Iyabo Kuteyi, Mr Nurudeen Oluseni Olaleye and Mrs Olayinka Babalola.
There were also representatives of the Office of the Special Adviser on Education (OSAE) and alumni association in attendance.
Also among the visiting entourage were the acting Rector of the institution, Mr Olumide Olusola Metilelu, Registrar, Mr Shakirudeen Adetola, the bursar, Mr Maumo Jerry Jinadu and Mr Stephen Anu’ Adesemoye, a lecturer in the department of Mass Communication.
While speaking at the palaces, Prof. Ojikutu stated that the newly constituted Council deemed it fit to pay homage to the traditional institutions in the Division and get their royal blessings and supports before they settle down to commence full operations in order to have a successful tenure.
“Sir, we deemed it necessary to visit you as our traditional ruler and solicit for your support. We are aware that if you extend your support to us, we are sure of success in our assignment”, the Governing Council Chairman pleaded.
“I must also let you know that 70% of the admission slot into the institution is for the indigenes. I always remember the statement of Brigadier Mobolaji Johnson when we used to follow him. He always said that owners of a particular entity must be allowed to benefit more”, Prof. Ojikutu revealed.
“Despite the fact that 70% of the admission has been reserved for the indigent students, these slots are not being maximized at all and it poses a great challenge. Lagosians don’t read and we need to change this narrative”, he said.
He pleaded with the royal fathers and other stakeholders to assist the institution in changing the narrative by encouraging indigenes to enroll more in the institution.
“We want to change this narrative and improve the enrollment of our young ones in higher institutions. This is where we need the interventions of our traditional rulers and other stakeholders in the community to help us encourage our young ones to go to school and take advantage of the 70% slots reserved for them in Lagos State Polytechnic”, Prof. Ojikutu pleaded.
“We are appealing that anyone with a child interested in going to school with required results should bring them to us for admission. Our job is to admit indigent students first, even if they do not meet up with all the requirements”.
Prof. Ojikutu also solicited for the support of the traditional institutions in transforming the Lagos State polytechnic into a University, while also adding that the Governing Council under his chairmanship, will assist the management team of the institution in commercializing many of the innovations and products of the Polytechnic and make the larger Ikorodu community benefit from it.
“It is also our plan to turn the Polytechnic into a University. We need the support of the royal fathers in this regard.
“We are also here to let you know what our institution is doing and what it can offer the host community. This is important because we cannot exist in isolation of the community. We are to be partners in development.
“I also want to let you know that the community must take advantage of the existence of the Polytechnic because any community that has the presence of a higher institution must develop. If such fails to develop, then, such community needs divine intervention”, he said.
“It pleases God that Lagos State Polytechnic should be cited in Ikorodu, don’t forget that it was meant to be at Isolo which was the dream of the founding fathers, but it has been destined to be here.
“The institution has been innovating and producing many things but these have been only for the Polytechnic community and not extended to the larger Ikorodu community as we have discovered. This Governing Council is determined to change that.
“This Polytechnic is making bread, packed water, sanitiser and many other things but they are not known to the larger Ikorodu community. These products should be extended to our host community because they can create employment opportunities for the people which are part of the institution’s objectives.
“This Governing Council is ready to assist the management of the institution to achieve this and make members of the community to benefit from what the polytechnic is producing”, he assured”.
He said that the 12th Governing Council of the institution will be transparent in its handling of matters involving the institution’s management and the unions.
“Since our inauguration, we have also been able to reach out to the unions in the Polytechnic to make them understand their mission and in doing that, we are going to be transparent in our dealings with them. Once there is transparency, there will be little or no crisis to deal with.
“If you notice, our unions did not participate in the strike action embarked upon by unions across institutions in Lagos State recently. This is due to the cordiality that we are building”, he said.
“We are working towards stopping all internal disruptions and we don’t want to be running to our royal fathers and others outside the institution for crisis settlement. Henceforth, what we shall be coming to you for will be development of the institution”, he assured the royal fathers.
“In addition to our visit is to also inform our royal fathers that the state government has resolved and told us that the next Rector of the Polytechnic must be an indigene of the state.
“We are assuring that we will not disappoint you in all that we have stated, but we need your support and blessings to achieve success.
Mr Olumide Metilelu, the acting Rector, Lagos State Polytechnic, also speaking, thanks the traditional rulers and added that members of the Governing Council are embarking on the visitations to seek for the blessings and supports of the traditional institutions in the division.
He also said that the visit was aimed at introducing members of the Governing Council to the royal fathers.
The acting Rector assured the royal fathers that the institution will continue to be pride of the Division and state in term of academic excellence, technological innovations and other areas of the Polytechnic endeavours.
The Adeboruwa of Igbogbo, Oba Kasali, speaking, said that the composition of the Governing Council was pleasing to him because the state government has ensured that those incharge are eminent individuals with capacity to turn things around.
He assured the Governing Council and the management team of the institution of his support and blessings for all their plans and activities.
Oba Kasali also assured the institution that they will notice improvement regarding enrolment of indigene students in the institution.
“On the issue of indigene students not taking advantage of the 70% admission slots reserved for them, I can assure that you will soon start noticing changes. I will mobilise our chiefs and Baales to act in this regard.
“We thank you for bringing this to our notice and we shall work on it”, Oba Kasali assured the Governing Council.
“The information that the institution is working towards upgrading the Polytechnic to a University is something that we have already been working towards. It is what the entire people in the Division are in support of.
“That plan is wholly supported by the entire Obas in Ikorodu division.
“It is also heartwarming to hear that the institution has also been achieving a giant stride in the entrepreneurial aspect by innovating and producing some items. But that is not enough, as the Chairman of the Governing council has promised, I want to see a situation where whatever research or produce that has been done in the Polytechnic are positively impacting on the residents of lkorodu division”.
The royal father commended the management of the Polytechnic for academic excellence and innovations.
“I also commend you for the initiative of organizing stakeholders’ meeting on the proposed Ikorodu Sub – Region Master Plan. The management of the institution under the current administration has been innovative.
“I have not seen any other institution that has initiated such stakeholders’ meeting which was organised by the Polytechnic under the leadership of the acting Rector. This is a pointer that the current dispensation in the institution is alive to its responsibilities”.
Oba Kasali also pleaded that the government should consider somebody from Ikorodu as the next Rector of the Polytechnic, while also assuring that “We are ready to support the Council and the management of the institution to make Lagos State polytechnic an institution of our pride”.
Oba Ajibade Agoro, also speaking when the team visited him in his palace in Imota, assured them of his support and that of the entire traditional council in Ikorodu division.
”Thank you for informing me about the law that reserves 70% admission slots for indigent students. It is new to me and now that I have the information, be rest assured that you will get enough of our students for admission.
“I will work on the assignment that you have given me beyond your expectations”, Oba Agoro assured.
