Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has expressed willingness to revisit the controversial renaming of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, to Omololu Olunloyo Polytechnic if presented with substantive arguments.
The governor’s statement came during yesterday’s inauguration of Governing Boards for five state-owned tertiary institutions at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office.
The announcement follows a full-page newspaper advertisement by the institution’s alumni association and students’ union opposing the June name change honoring former governor Omololu Olunloyo. The groups had urged prioritization of the school’s welfare over symbolic changes.
“I thought to myself, maybe I’m wrong upon seeing the advertisement,” Makinde acknowledged, while noting the significant cost of such publicity. He suggested alumni could demonstrate commitment through concrete development initiatives rather than protests.
The governor balanced emotional attachments with policy pragmatism: “When you disturb others from going about their lawful activities, you need to realise that your freedom stops where theirs begins.” He emphasized using proper channels for grievances, warning against disruptive demonstrations.
Makinde detailed financial challenges facing tertiary institutions, citing restored 100 per cent subvention payments since 2019 and the strain of implementing the new N80,000 minimum wage. “We don’t want this to be a hardship for the governing councils of these institutions,” he stated, while reaffirming commitment to global-standard education despite limited resources.
The governor extended an olive branch to critics: “If you have any issue not based on sentiment, we will listen and do whatever we can within our power to improve infrastructure and the quality of education. We want our institutions to thrive, and we’re always open to engaging constructively.”