Students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Oyo State, on Tuesday, staged a protest over the renaming of the institution to Omololu Olunloyo Polytechnic.
Academic and other activities were put on hold at the institution, while hundreds of commuters plying major roads in Ibadan were also stranded as a result of the protest.
The State Governor, Seyi Makinde, had renamed the institution in honour of the late former governor of the state, Omololu Olunloyo, who died at the age of 89.
Olunloyo was the first Ibadan person to serve as the governor of old Oyo State.
The students blocked both the entrance gates of the institution and some other roads to show their grievances over the governor’s decision.
The protesters marched to the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi, demanding that the institution’s former name be reinstated.
Chanting solidarity songs and holding placards with different inscriptions such as “Revert The Name Now,” “We Are Not Consulted,” and “Our Identity, Our Pride,” the students called for an immediate reversal of the renaming, citing a lack of consultation and a disregard for the institution’s longstanding identity.
The Students’ Union leader, Olamide Oladipupo, spoke with journalists and expressed concern that major stakeholders were not involved in the decision-making process.
Oladipupo said, “We are not against honouring leaders, but not at the expense of our institution’s legacy.
“Sincerely, as bonafide students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, we are not here to fight or revolt. This is not a protest; this is a way of channeling our grievances.
“What we want is for the name of our school to remain The Polytechnic, Ibadan. This is a heritage of over 50 years with alumni all over the world. We can’t allow that heritage to be swept away. We want the name to remain The Polytechnic, Ibadan.
“We are here to plead with the governor; we are not here to fight. There is no placard that speaks against the governor. We want the governor to attend to us. There are other monuments that can be named after the late governor. We have ample land for the government to build on and name after him. We are open to discussions; we do not want the name to change.”
The State Deputy Governor, Bayo Lawal, who addressed the students on behalf of the governor, called for “calm” and assured them that their grievances would be taken seriously.
“On behalf of the Governor of Oyo State, I beg and admonish you that your demands will be placed before the governor, who is currently unavailable. “Whenever he is back, your demands will be presented to him,” he assured them.
