Why I pushed for Federal Polytechnic, Ayede – Senator Adeseun

Why I pushed for Federal Polytechnic, Ayede – Senator Adeseun

By our correspondent

Former lawmaker and All Progressives Congress (APC) leader in Oyo state, Senator Ayoade Ademola Adeseun, has said the establishment of the Federal Polytechnic, Ayede, Oyo state , was driven by his conviction that Nigeria’s development future depends on technical education, skills acquisition and deliberate institutional planning.

Adeseun, who represented Oyo Central Senatorial District and previously served in the House of Representatives, made this disclosure at the weekend, saying the idea emerged from his exposure to a Federal Government study on the distribution of federal tertiary institutions across Nigeria.

According to him, the study—conducted by the Federal Ministry of Education—revealed a major imbalance, particularly as it related to Oyo state. “Some states had two or three federal institutions, but Oyo state had only one — the University of Ibadan,” Adeseun said.

He noted that while the University of Ibadan remains Nigeria’s premier university, having been established in 1948 as a college of the University of London, the absence of any other federal institution in the state was unacceptable.

“As pre-eminent as UI is, to say that Oyo state had no other federal educational institution was scandalous,” he said.

Adeseun explained that this realisation shaped his belief that every state hosting a conventional federal university should also have a technically-oriented federal institution to balance theory with practical skills.

“I felt it was my duty as a legislator to do whatever I could to attract a technical tertiary institution to my community,” he said.

He described legislative responsibility as threefold — lawmaking, representation, and oversight — stressing that improving the welfare and future prospects of constituents must remain central to public service.

“That obligation to improve the lot of my people was what drove my commitment to this project,” he added.

Although the initiative did not materialise during his first term in the National Assembly, Adeseun said he intensified efforts during his second tenure.

“I took the bull by the horns. I secured the institution, decided the community, the village and ensured it was established,” he said.

Beyond educational balance, Adeseun said the project was motivated by Nigeria’s chronic shortage of technically skilled manpower.

“For a long time, we relied on foreigners — Ghanaians and others — for carpentry, construction and technical services. When their economies improved, they left, and we were stranded,” he said.

He stressed that Nigeria must move beyond purely academic training to higher-level technical manpower development capable of creating jobs, industries and economic resilience.

“The world is becoming technological. If we do not train people in technologically oriented institutions, we will continue to lag behind,” he warned.

Adeseun welcomed the Federal Government’s recent policy direction allowing polytechnics to award degrees, describing it as a long-overdue reform that would end the dichotomy between HND holders and university graduates.

“Once polytechnics begin to award degrees, more students will embrace technical institutions because that is where you acquire real, usable skills,” he said.

According to him, the reform would empower graduates to become self-reliant even before seeking white-collar employment.

“When you look at foreigners coming to Nigeria — Chinese, Indians, Germans — most of them are technologists and hands-on builders. That is the direction Nigeria must follow,” he added.

Adeseun maintained the decision to site the polytechnic in Ayede, Ogo-Oluwa local government area, was deliberate and informed by his academic background in Urban and Regional Planning.

“From day one, I decided it would not be located inside the town. I wanted a rural location to decongest Ogbomoso and spread development outward,” he explained.

He recalled that his relationship with the (now late) Alayede of Ayede, Oba Solademi Adewuyi, being his secondary school Physics teacher, played a significant role in locating it in the community, adding it helped to build trust and community support.

“When the opportunity came, I approached the late Soun of Ogbomoso oba Jimoh Oyewumi and explained my vision. Kabiyesi supported it and blessed the project,” Adeseun said.

The Ayede community, he said, donated about 100 acres of land, after which surveys and documentation were completed and submitted in Abuja.

“I secured federal approval and budgetary allocation running into about ₦500 million,” he disclosed.

Stakeholders’ meetings were later held in Ogbomoso involving traditional rulers and government officials to ensure continuity, especially as his tenure ended before construction commenced.

He revealed that attempts were later made to relocate the institution, but these were resisted by stakeholders who insisted it must remain in Ayede.

“Today, the Federal Polytechnic, Ayede, approved under the administration of late President Muhammadu Buhari, is fully operational, offering National Diploma programmes in fields such as Accountancy, Engineering and Computer Science, with a focus on practical and entrepreneurial training.

The institution has already graduated two sets of students, with the convocation scheduled for Thursday, March 12, at the permanent site. A day earlier, March 11, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, chairman, Nigeria Revenue Service is expected to deliver the keynote address.

Adeseun said the success of the institution affirms the long-term value of deliberate policy-driven development.

“The whole world can now see this as an APC achievement,” he said, adding, “I remain the brain behind it and the principal facilitator.”