The Rector of Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic, Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State, Dr Mobolaji Onasanya, has appealed to the state government to increase the institution’s monthly subvention and ensure equitable access to interventions from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
Onasanya also proposed a rotational arrangement for distributing TETFund interventions among state-owned tertiary institutions to ensure that each institution has a predictable timeline for accessing federal government support.
The rector made the appeal on Monday during a press conference at the polytechnic’s premises ahead of its combined convocation ceremony and 20th anniversary celebration scheduled for Thursday.
He expressed concern that some tertiary institutions in the state had reportedly gone between 10 and 15 years without benefiting from TETFund interventions, a situation he said was hindering their infrastructural development.
According to him, Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic has not accessed TETFund intervention since 2020, despite its growing need for lecture halls, laboratories, workshops, staff offices, student hostels and other essential facilities.
“Another important concern is access to Tertiary Education Trust Fund intervention. The polytechnic reports that it has not accessed TETFund intervention since 2020. We respectfully seek consideration of a practicable and equitable rotational arrangement for infrastructure support among state-owned tertiary institutions, so that critical needs can be addressed fairly and sustainably,” he said.
The rector called for a year-by-year schedule showing when each institution would benefit from the intervention, arguing that such an arrangement would promote fairness and enable institutions to plan their infrastructure development.
He said the institution’s monthly subvention had also remained largely unchanged despite rising expenditure on salaries, utilities, maintenance, equipment and other operational needs.
Onasanya appealed to the Ogun State Government to review the allocation to enable the polytechnic to meet its financial obligations, maintain essential services and sustain improvements in teaching, learning and administration.
“We also appeal for a review of the polytechnic’s monthly subvention from the Ogun State Government. The allocation has remained substantially at its earlier level despite increases in the cost of salaries, utilities, maintenance, equipment and other essential operations,” he said.
He identified the development of the institution’s main campus as another priority, noting that the use of the Abusi Edumare Campus, which he described as essentially a secondary-school facility, presented logistical and academic coordination challenges.
According to him, the polytechnic hopes to develop its main campus to accommodate all its students in an environment specifically designed for higher technical and vocational education.
Despite these challenges, Onasanya said the institution had recorded progress in infrastructure, academic development, staff welfare, student support and digital services under the current management.
He listed the completed School of Environmental Technology building, Twin Science Laboratory and four-in-one Engineering Laboratories serving Computer Engineering and Electrical/Electronic Engineering among the institution’s major infrastructure projects.
On academic expansion, the rector disclosed that 15 new programmes had received accreditation from the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
He said the polytechnic, which began operations in 2006 with 300 students and 10 programmes, now had a student population of more than 7,000 and offered over 30 programmes.
According to him, the expansion had increased opportunities for prospective students and strengthened the institution’s capacity to produce skilled manpower in science, technology, engineering, environmental studies, computing, communication, management and public administration.
On staff development, Onasanya revealed that 11 members of staff had obtained doctoral degrees in their respective fields, describing the achievement as a boost to the institution’s academic capacity, research culture and contribution to knowledge.
He assured that the management would continue to encourage professional development and scholarly advancement within available resources.
The rector also announced that the polytechnic would confer its Fellowship Awards on the wife of the Ogun State Governor, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun; renowned engineer and former University of Lagos lecturer, Prof. Ayo Ogunye; and Elder Segun Olusanya in recognition of their contributions to national development.
On the convocation ceremony, Onasanya said
