Nigeria Needs More Polytechnics to Drive Development — Osun Poly Rector

The Rector of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Kehinde Alabi, has urged the Federal Government to establish more polytechnics nationwide, arguing that doing so would speed up Nigeria's development. Alabi made the call on Monday at a press conference held to unveil plans for the institution's eighth convocation ceremony, scheduled for Thursday, which will honour graduates spanning the 2020/2021 to 2024/2025 academic sessions. He stressed that polytechnic education gives students hands-on, technical skills that are vital to industrial growth, and pushed back against what he described as unnecessary rivalry between polytechnic and university graduates, insisting the two are trained for different, complementary roles. "Polytechnic graduates are those who have the practical skills that can enhance the development of industries," he said, adding that Nigeria's energy crisis and shrinking industrial base have fuelled competition between the two groups where none should exist. Alabi pointed to countries where polytechnic graduates in technical fields out-earn their university counterparts, arguing that Nigeria will continue to need more polytechnics unless the Federal Government shifts its development priorities. He maintained there was no basis for comparing the two categories of graduates, given their distinct training objectives. On the convocation programme, Alabi announced that Yakib Afolabi of the Department of Business Administration at Federal University Oye-Ekiti will deliver Wednesday's convocation lecture, titled "Entrepreneurship in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities for Wealth Creation and National Development." The lecture will be chaired by Taiwo Asaolu, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilesa. He also revealed that the polytechnic has set up a Career Development and Skills Acquisition Directorate, designed to support students' career progression and equip them with skills suited to the modern workforce.