The Alumni Association of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to extend his current wave of policy repositioning, to issues bothering on shortage of hostels in higher institutions, especially polytechnics.
It also pleaded for extension of same gesture to final solution to the raging issue of BSC/HND dichotomy between products of universities and polytechnics, to further encourage technical and innovative education among young people.
National President of the association , Dr Oyedokun Abiodun made the appeal Friday, at the handing over ceremony of two blocks of hotels, donated by the association, to the Polytechnic.
According to him, the dearth of hostels accommodation in higher institutions, particularly polytechnics, was impacting negatively on the various aspects of the students’ lives.
The two hostels, which comprise four rooms each, were named after two alumni – the pioneer National President of the alumni association, and immediate past Rector of the institution, Dr Hephzibah Oladebeye, and a deceased member of the association, Mrs Rita Aboloma.
At the ceremony, attended by top management team of the Polytechnic,including the Rector, Dr. Temitope John Alake, the Alumni President said the gesture was to support the institution, in its quest to making lives more abundant to the teaming students population.
Dr Abiodun used the occasion to intimate the management about the two storey 32- room hostels project, being undertaken by the Alumni Association, and named after one time Chairman of the institution’s Governing Council and former governor of Kano State Abudullahi Ganduje .
He explained that the institution was challenged with limited hostels facilities to take care of the large population of students in various programmes .
Abiodun said “accommodation crisis has been a general problem in most public Tertiary Institution in Nigeria, this crisis has become a pervasive issue, leading to a significant number of students, being unable to reside on campus.
” The problem significantly impacts these non-resident students, affecting not only their academic pursuits, but also various aspects of their lives.
“The Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti is not an exemption in this situation because of the limited number of hostels to take care of the large population of students in various programmes.
“The National Executive Committee of this Association considered the plight of students, and made a clarion call to members for assistance towards building of hostels to support the School in solving accommodation problem on our Campus”.
Continuing, he said, “The government can not do it alone, they need our support, and this is why the amended Federal Polytechnic Act of 2019, recognised Alumni, as an integral part of the highest policy making body (Governing Council) in the Polytechnics.
“Our prayer is that our dear President, Bola Tinubu will consider this our gesture by causing the appropriate agencies to give polytechnics, the needed support to have more hostels.
“Generally, I want to through this medium appeal to our President Bola Tinubu to please look more into the Polytechnic Education for technological advancement. The creation of National Polytechnic Commission, provision of more fund and the kind Assent of Mr President “.
Earlier in his remarks, Dr Alake who appreciated the leadership of the Alumni association, also acknowledged their loyalty and patriotism.
The Rector, urged the leadership of other associations in the institution to borrow a leaf from the Alumni’s good gestures .
