The lawmaker representing Saki West/Saki East/ATISBO in the House of Representatives, Hon. Olajide Olatubosun has said that “the establishment of a federal polytechnic in Oyo State will give indigenes and residents of the state a sense of belonging, promote national cohesion and integration and also provide them more opportunities of acquiring higher education.”
Calling on the federal government to establish a polytechnic in the state, Olatubosun explained that “there are twenty-eight (28) federal polytechnics spread across the country and their locations clearly manifest a deliberate policy by successive administrations to ensure a fair and equitable distribution among the thirty-six (36) states of the federation.”
According to the Ago Amodu-born accountant, who moved the motion last week, despite the excellent profile of Oyo State being a pacesetter and power house in Western Education in Africa, “successive administrations have failed to establish a federal polytechnic in Oyo State, a situation that places indigenes and residents of the state at a disadvantaged position in their quest for admission into federal polytechnics due to the fact that the policy of “catchment area” is a prioritized criterion in admission into the Institutions.”
Meanwhile, the House has however urged the federal government to consult with the government of Oyo State with a view to establishing a federal polytechnic in Oyo State, while it also mandated the committee on tertiary education and services to liaise with the federal ministries of education and finance, the national board for technical education and other stakeholders to ensure compliance.