The Governor of Ogun state, Ibikunle Amosun is determined to go ahead with the changing of name and location of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic to Moshood Abiola University of Technology at the detriment of the education sanctity of the students, prospective students, staff and unions in the polytechnic community!
It is instructive to opine that the decision to move Mapoly to Ipokia and make present site of Mapoly in Ojere for the newly approved Mautech is a political tool which the governor is deploying without calculating the cost such a decision will cost the school, students, community and his perception among the electorates!
To start with, education funding is messy in Ogun state, a reputed to have the highest numbers of higher institutions in Nigeria, It is instructive to note that these institutions are self funded and survive through internal generated mechanism to stay afloat! This begs the question why the need for additional institution? This question, only the governor can confidently answer and it has been suggested in close quarters that the decision is political rather than advancement of technical education in Ogun state. The state is on the verge of electing a new governor and it is with our polity, incumbent governors want to have a successor sell able to the electorate and such is the decision to move Mapoly to Ipokia to placate the people of Yewa region. Such a move will further strengthen the change of electing his successor as it is suggested that the lucky successor is likely from the Yewa region of the state.
Why sacrifice the substance of education over political arithmetic? Mapoly has been an established institution of technical education synonymous with Ogun State, The school has produced movers and shakers of industries in Ogun State and Nigeria among whom is Governor Amosun.
Since he became governor of the state and on the strength of the development stride he has added to the state, truncating the education process of teeming youths schooling in Mapoly is the bad reference to his achievement.
The higher institutions in the state are self
funded! Many of the institutions are run on internal
generation and next to nothing from the state coffers! Now
on the politics of name change from Mapoly to Mautech, the governor derailed on critical aspect of such a decision! He added another institution to the over stretch institutions of higher learning in state, instead of locating a good spot for the new institution, he ordered the new to take over the
location of an existing school then ordered Mapoly to move
to Ipokia! What a reckless decision influenced by political
consideration rather than the aloof immortalization of a
name or advancement of technical education in Ogun State!
Critical inquest shows that most of the courses NBTE granted Mapoly the accreditation were done based on available learning facilities the agency saw in Mapoly for instance,science studies need laboratories, mass communication studies need PR/Radio/TV/Press room and studios!
Same with all courses in Mapoly. They all have one element of practical facilities to aid learning on whose strength they got accredited by NBTE! Moving this courses to Ipokia means another round of accreditation by NBTE because
accreditation aren't transferable! Why not set up your pipe-
dream of creating university of technology in the name of
Abiola in Ipokia? Why disrupt academic progress of a self
sustained school? Stopped it from admitting new students
just because you are running against political storm in doing something in Yewa region of the state? Why putting forth a school haphazardly in Ipokia without order, process and time needed to do the right just because your time is limited and your choice of successor is high on the political
consideration and hell to whatever could such consideration could affect? Amosun is becoming a wrecking ball just because of successor politics!