The institution has a new sheriff in town who has zero tolerance for indiscipline and moral decadence as UMAR BAYO ABDULWAHAB writes.
Established in1973 by the then military governor of Kwara state, Col. David Bamigboye, the Kwara State Polytechnic in Ilorin was recently in the news following the appointment of a new rector for the institution by the state governor.
In his maiden interaction with the media ahead of the institution’s recently held convocation ceremony, the new rector, Dr Abdul Jimoh Mohammed, unfolded his plans for the institution saying under his watch indiscipline would not be tolerated.
Reading the riot act
At his maiden interaction with the press ahead of the polytechnic’s recent 26th convocation ceremony, he appears very calm as those who know him very well said he is gentle to a fault such that he cannot even hurt a fly.
However, one attribute which they said cannot be taken away from him is that he is a strict disciplinarian.
Less than one month of resumption in office, investigation shows that this newly appointed rector of this institution may be living up to the expectations of many who had described him as a disciplinarian.
The indication emerged at his maiden interaction with journalists ahead of the Polytechnic’s 26th convocation ceremony.
When asked to comment on what he intends doing to ensure discipline is sustained on the campus, he warned that his administration would be tough with issue of indiscipline among staff and students.
According to him, “I have held a meeting with my staff and leadership of the Students Union Government (SUG) where I told them that the cost of indiscipline under me is very high that they cannot afford to pay.”
On his vision for the institution
Asked about his visions for the polytechnic, the new rector pledged to bring the institution to international standard through collaboration.
“I want to make Kwara State Polytechnic an institution of international standard. I don’t want the institution to be a local one as I am looking forward to international collaboration. I have spoken to the Chinese Cultural Centre and liased with the Embassy of Riyald, ” he said.
He added that arrangements have been concluded to establish a unit called Intellectual Property and Technological Transfer Office (IPPTO) which would be responsible for aggressive transfer of technological breakthroughs of the institution.
The rector also unfolded his administration’s plans to collaborate with industries like FIIRO, NBRRI, NASENI and others for industrial exposure to enhance the training of its students.
Promising to improve on the entrepreneurial skills of the students, he disclosed that he has embarked on the study of the Kwara State University, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti models for the purpose of comparison, amendments and adoption.
Why Kwara gov’t should restore subvention
Even though the polytechnic has not failed in its obligations of paying salaries on or before the 25th of every month inspite of the state’s government suspension of monthly subvention to the school institution, Muhammed said the polytechnic still clamour the restoration of subvention in order to fullfil many other obligations.
For instance, he said the polytechnic might have a big challenge hosting the forthcoming NIPOGA games tentatively billed to hold in December due to lack of hostel to accomodate over 3,000 athletes that would be participating at the various events.
He said students of the polytechnic have been staying off campus because of lack of adequate hostels to accommodate them due to inadequate funds that can make the existing hotel structures habitable for human beings.
“I have directed the director in charge of works to clear the bush within and in the surroundings of the hostels because trees and bushes have overgrown around the hostel surrounding,” he said.
The new polytechnic administrator appealed to the state government under the administration of Mallam AbdulRahmon AbdulRasaq to restore the subvention back to the institution with a promise of judicious use of fund by the institution.
He said that the restoration of subvention would make the institution to provide more hostel accommodation for the students, regular promotion of staff with more training and development as well as infrastructural maintainance.
The rector listed the challenges facing the institution such as inadequate funding, ageing nature of structures, lack of hostel accomodation and fencing of the campus with consequent encroachment.
“We would appreciate the completion of blocks of students’ hostels to accommodate all our students on campus. Doing this would aid the students’ academic activities and refrain them from co- habiting with the opposite sex. It would also help to generate income for the polytechnic,” he said. A legacy that must be sustainedAt a time when most higher institutions of learning are enmeshed in sex -for- grades scandals while others are counting losses of disruption in academic calendar due to students unrest, the new rector expressed delight that the polytechnic had not witnessed any disruption in the last five years.
“The polytechnic enjoys the support of the government in its policy of zero tolerance for cultism and other other social vices.To achieve this, the management partnered with security agencies and the neighbouring communities,” he announced.
The new rector
Dr Mohammed was until his appointment recently the deputy rector (academics) at the Federal Polytechnic Offa (FPO) also in Kwara state.
He holds two doctorate degrees including one in Metallurgical and Material Science at the Witwatersrand University South Africa in 2016.
He had bagged his Masters of Engineering (Mechanical) in 1998 from the Obafemi Awolowo University, eight years after he finished his first degree in a Mechanical Engineering (1990) at the University of Ilorin. He also has a Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Science.
He also has managerial experiences in the academics spanning 27 years.He was head, Department of Mechanical Engineering (FPO) between 2000 and 2004; dean of Faculty of Engineering (FPO) between 2008 and 2012 and deputy rector in charge of academics (FPO) between 2011 until his appointment.
He is a corporate member of the Nigeria Society of Engineers; Registered Engineer with the Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN); corporate member of the Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Fellow of the Nigeria Institute of Data Processing Management.
Dr Mohammed has the patent certificate for inventing hydrogen storage tank presented to him by Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu as a mark of his academic prowess.
