Education

The management of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State has announced the suspension of academic activities for one week.

The Registrar of the polytechnic, Mrs Olubunmi Elewodalu announce this in a statement sent to newsmen on Monday evening.

She said the closing down of the school was due to the prevailing circumstances, apparently referring to the students’ protest which rocked the school on Monday morning.

Elewodalu said, “The temporary suspension of the academic activities is a result of the need to address the prevailing circumstances in the polytechnic.

“The suspension of the academic activities will be effective from Monday, October 9, to  Friday, October 13, 2023. During this period all students are directed to stay away from the campus until otherwise directed.”

The students of the school had on Monday morning protested the hike in the acceptance fee paid by newly admitted students, among other issues.

The students, who trooped out to the campus gate as early as 7 am, were seen in their numbers holding placards with inscriptions such as “#No To Increment of Tuition Fee,” “#Rector Must Go,” “#Release our Results ASAP,”  among others.

Men of the Nigeria Police Force were also present at the scene.

Speaking during the protest, the Students’ Union President of the institution, Babatunde Adelola, said, “We have many reasons to protest. Recently, the school said they were not getting funding from the state government and they needed to generate funds internally, which was why they increased the acceptance fee from N35,000 to N50,500.

“Aside from the hike in fee, the delay in the release of our result is affecting students. For instance, those who graduated in the last session have yet to be mobilised for service. I am in HND 2 second semester and I have yet to see the result of the exams I took in HND 1 second semester. This is affecting students because they do not know their academic standing and how well to prepare for the next exams.”

Punch / Titilayo Kupoliyi

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Housing

By Olusegun Folarin

The Federal Government has been urged to review the Land Use Act of 1978 in the bid to reduce the growing housing deficit in the country and provide affordable shelter for the people. 

An Environmental expert and Director of School of Environmental Studies at the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Dr. Samson Agbato disclosed this at a news conference commemorating the 3rd International Conference of the School. 

Dr Agbato who noted that the housing deficit in the country stood at 28 million called for the revitalization of both educational and mortgage institutions to better serve the needs of Nigerians, especially low income and no income earners. 

The Director who attributed the increasing building collapse in the country to corruption and failure of the regulatory agencies to enforce standard, advised the government to ensure a reduction in the cost of building materials and make funds available for subscribers of mortgage banks.

Also, the Chairman, Conference Planning Committee, Dr Olabisi Baiyewu said the conference scheduled for the 28th and 29th of this month with the theme “Sustainable Built Environment and Innovative Development in the 21st Century”, was aimed at generating solutions for building a sustainable environment in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs.

He said the event would help in harvesting knowledge and strategic policy drives capable of enabling the nation to build sustainable environment through the invaluable contributions of scholars.

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Education

Some students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, MAPOLY, Abeokuta, have protested the institution’s increments of tuition fees and alleged extortion by the management of the school.

The students in their thousands barricaded the main entrance of the institution and prevented movement into the school premises.

The protest which disrupted the ongoing second-semester examination saw the protesting students displaying inscriptions such as: “#Say No To Unreasonable Increment Now!!!”, “Say no to extortion” and “Bring back our 60/40 per cent among others.

The chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Ogun State, Comrade Simeon Damilola, demanded the immediate reversal of all increased fees and abolishment of the newly introduced fees.

Mr Damilola called for the investigation of the management of the institution for alleged misappropriation and mismanagement of funds in the school.

The institution’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Yemi Ajibola while speaking on the protest said it was not true that the institution increased the tuition fee.

Public Relations Officer, Mr Yemi Ajibola

He stated that the students’ leaders have reneged on the earlier agreed solution to the crisis.

Mr Ajibola described the allegations levelled against the rector as baseless and unfounded.

Wale Oluokun

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News

A student of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, had been reportedly killed along Ipara, in Ode Remo area of Ogun State.

Odeh, an ND 2 student of Mass Communication was said to have been kidnapped while going to a movie location in the axis.

A statement by the Students Union leadership of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic indicated that the deceased was also suspected to have been raped by her assailants.

Odeh, it was gathered, won the Miss MAPOLY beauty contest on August 3, 2022.

The statement jointly signed by the Students Union President, Sodiq Ajani and the Public Relations Officer, Joy Okolie, says the deceased was allegedly kidnapped in the last three days while visiting a movie location, stating that the deceased phone was missing when discovered.

The students’ leaders also noted that the body of the slain student had been deposited at the morgue of the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu.

The Ogun State Police Public Relations Office is being awaited to confirm the incident as the Public Relations Officer, Mr Abimbola Oyeyemi was said to be outside the state when his office was contacted.

Wale Oluokun

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Education

The management of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, MAPOLY, Abeokuta and the leadership of students in Ogun State have been at loggerheads over the ongoing protest by the students of the institution.

The students had been protesting over what they called exorbitant charges and deplorable conditions of a road leading to the institution.

In their large number, the protesting students blocked the gate, singing solidarity songs to express their displeasure.

The protest which attracted the presence of the security agents has been on in the last two days.

They carried placards with various inscriptions, including “Fix MAPOLY Road”, “Security personnel, we don’t have one,” “We Don’t want Acting Rector,” “We deserve substantive Rector,” among others.

Addressing newsmen, the State Chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Damilola Simeon said the students demanded replacement of Dr Odedeji who is the Acting Rector of the institution.

Comrade Simeon gave the state government a forty-eight-hour ultimatum to appoint a substantive Rector after which the protest will turn a new dimension.

The Head of Public Relations and Protocol, Mr Yemi Ajibola in a reaction described the protest as politically motivated.

Mr. Ajibola said all the demands of the protesters have been addressed by the institution, but added that the fresh dimension to the demonstration indicated that it was masterminded by some unnamed people.

Wale Oluokun

Education

Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, MAPOLY, Abeokuta has commenced the process for the admission of students for the 2021/2022 academic session for all programmes in the institution. 

The Head, Public Relations and Protocol of the institution, Mr. ‘Yemi Ajibola who made this known in a statement in Abeokuta, explained that interested candidates must score one hundred and above in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, to be eligible for admission. 

Mr. Ajibola advised eligible candidates who picked MAPOLY as first choice in the 2021 UTME and had uploaded their O’level results on the JAMB’s Central Admission Processing System, CAPS, to commence the processing of their applications, while those who did not make MAPOLY their first choice would be required to effect the change of choice of institution through JAMB’s portal before obtaining MAPOLY application forms.

He also announced that application forms for Part-time National Diploma, ND, as well as Full-time and Part-time Higher National Diploma, HND programmes of the Polytechnic for the 2021/2022 session could be obtained at www.mapoly.edu.ng.

Mr. Ajibola who said the application process would close on Friday, Fifteenth October, 2021, advised candidates to check the admission requirements before processing the forms, using a Debit Master or Visa Card to pay the prescribed processing fee and complete the online application on www.mapoly.edu.ng

He noted that prospective candidates could also visit www.mapoly.edu.ng and the institution’s social media platforms for more information or send mail to infoaboutmapoly@gmail.com or info@mapoly.edu.ng for inquiries.

Oluremi Olugbenro 

Education

In the bid to tackle unemployment among youths, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund,TETFUND, is constructing a two hundred and forty-five million naira Skills Acquisition and Vocational Centre at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, MAPOLY, Abeokuta. 

At the foundation laying ceremony, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Abayomi Arigbabu said the project initiated under the 2018 TETFUND Annual Intervention would boost the capacity of the youths to create wealth. 

Olusegun Folarin presents the details in this package.

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Olusegun Folarin

Education

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta has expressed concern over the present administration’s refusal to pay the four months salary of the workers.

The ASUP Chairman, Comrade Chibuzor Osifalujo while speaking with Journalists in Abeokuta accused the government of insensitivity to the plight of the teeming workers of MAPOLY.

Comrade Osifalujo lamented that the government failed to give approval to workers’ outstanding March and April salaries from the Internally Generated Revenue which he said had been on his table since almost a week ago.

The ASUP Chairman alleged that the present administration’s lackadaisical attitude towards the welfare of the workers was making life unbearable for the workers despite their sacrifices to the institution and the state.

Olusegun Folarin

Economy

Ogun State Government has approved the award of Bachelor of Technology, B.Tech, by Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, MAPOLY, in the efforts to boost the country’s technological and vocational manpower base. 

Governor Dapo Abiodun in the letter of approval for the programme, conveyed by the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Abayomi Arigbabu, also directed the management of the Polytechnic to commence the process of affiliation with Olabisi Onabanjo University, O.O.U, for the purpose of running B.Tech programmes.

The Governor explained that the approval would be in tandem with the requirements approved by the National Universities Commission, NUC.

In a reaction, the Acting Rector of the institution, Mr Adeoye Odedeji maintained that the programme would retain and sustain the hands-on skills of the Technical and Vocational Education Training, TVET, policy.

Mr Odedeji explained that the B.Tech would be for National Diploma graduates of programmes accredited by the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, in the Polytechnic.

The acting Rector, who commended the governor for what he described as giant offer for MAPOLY, said the programme would begin as soon as arrangements were concluded with O.O.U and NUC for a hitch free implementation.

Olusegun Folarin

Education

A two hundred and fifty capacity Information Communication Technology, ICT, laboratory has been inaugurated at the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta to aid teaching and learning of the students of the institution.

Inaugurating the TETFUND support project, the Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Abayomi Arigbabu said the initiative was part with the policy thrust of the present administration to equip schools with ICT. 

Olusegun Folarin completes the story.

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Lifestyle

A religious leader, Venerable Joshua Omole wants Nigerians to invest in people around them and always be generous to the needy. 

Venerable Omole who is the Vicar in Charge, All souls Anglican Church, Ibara Housing Estate, Abeokuta, Ogun State gave the charge at the funeral service for an administrator and former Registrar, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Mr Akinola Olumide.

Venerable Omole, who described death as a fundamental event that could not be escaped by humans, urged the people to strive towards making their existence full of purpose and impacts.

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The religious leader also used the occasion to encourage Nigerians to regard the insecurity challenges in the country as a phase in life, adding that the challenges should not stop the citizens from respecting and praying for those at helms of affairs.

Speaking about her late husband, Mrs Gbemisola Olumide described him as an astute professional that had contributed to the growth of the education sector.

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Mrs Olumide said her husband would be greatly missed for his kind advice and words of encouragement. 

The service was attended by dignitaries, including the Osile, Oke Ona Egba, Oba Adedapo Tejuoso and a former Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Prince Segun Adesegun 

The late  Akinola Olumide, aged sixty- four, worked with the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta and rose to the peak of his career as the Polytechnic’s Registrar before his retirement in 2016.

He is survived by wife, children and grand-children and relatives, including Mrs Sade Ajayi – Osigwe of Radio Nigeria, Ibadan Zonal station.

Oluwatoyin Adegoke

Lifestyle

Funeral arrangement for former registrar, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, MAPOLY, Abeokuta, Mr Akinola Olumide commences tomorrow with commendation service and lying-in-state at the institution’s premises at ten o’clock in the morning.

 Wake for the deceased will come up on the same day at Kamoni Solola Street, Obantoko, Abeokuta, at five o’ clock in the evening.

According to a statement, funeral service will take place on Friday at All Soul’s Anglican Church, Ibara Housing Estate, Abeokuta while interment follows immediately at St. John Anglican Church Cementery, Isabo, Abeokuta.

Aged sixty four, mr.akinola olumide jp. Died on the 13th of last month.

Nofiu Busari