MAPOLY - MAUSTECH CRISIS BY LANRE ADENIJI

Setting a pace among other states in the nation, Ogun state is regarded as the hub of tertiary education in Nigeria with over twenty-one tertiary institutions located across the state. This feast isn’t achievable without the inclusion of the state owned institutions that have served in various capacities in producing top-notch graduates and well enlightened individuals fit to contribute their various quota to the development of the state and the country at large.

Lack of proper funding has however militated extensively and for too long across board against the stunning development of the state owned institutions. Amongst these institutions include Moshood Abiola polytechnic which like any other state owned tertiary institution in Ogun state has long been left to shoulder by itself all financial responsibilities that has arisen in the course of running the activities of the polytechnic with only internally generated revenue and without financial support from the state government. In 2012, the then Commissioner of Education, Mr. John Odubela announced the scrapping of Tai Solarin University of education and a merge of the programmes being offered to the faculty of education, Olabisi Onabanjo University. One the major reasons was due to funding which the commissioner was qouted as saying “gulped a lot of money from the government”. After several protests and the loss of the life of a students of the institution, Humble Tee-Jee, during one of the protests, the decision was reversed. This later led to the loss of accreditation of some of the major courses the institution had previously offered.

Olabisi onabanjo University, one of Nigeria’s finest state varsity suffered similar fate in the hand of the government when it became poorly funded and lecturers became tired of teaching on empty bellies and failed promises. Trade union dispute accompanied by several industrial action was the order of the day until the immediate past vice chancellor, Prof Saburi Adesanya took the mantle of leadership from his predecessor and delineated lasting solutions to the issue of fund which included hike in fees. Other polytechnics were not spared as some ICT schools which include D.S Adegenro, Gateway, and Abraham Adesanya were at that time proposed to be merged. Not only has the government failed in funding these schools to compete globally with others, it has also shown a care free attitude toward commitment to the project of having capable and fully-baked graduates turned out into the society by our state owned schools.

As much as having a state owned university in the capital appears to be a welcome development, a decision embraced by the people of Abeokuta and its environs and looks unharmful to unsuspecting natives of the state, the idea at best would can only pitch the government against her workers who have served endlessly, giving their all in all in different regards, towards the success of this government and the smooth activities of MAPOLY. To successfully run a university, man power with the highest academic qualifications are bestowed upon, the mandate to impact knowledge. This is however not really the case in the polytechnic where having the highest academic qualification is not the major criterion towards impacting knowledge. It therefore connotes that a successful incorporation of previous academic staff into the newly birthed MAUSTECH is unrealistic except if sentiments should overshadow the universal standard. This idea would therefore lead to lost of jobs of those who have pledged undivided loyalty to the government and have dedicated their youthfulness to the service of Ogun state.

The government of Ogun state under Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s led administration had initially complained of having to finance too many institutions as a reason for inadequate and subsequent relinquishment of funding of her institutions. The hasty decision to upgrade one of the foremost polytechnics in the country to a university may spell doom for subsequent administrations in government who may eventually inherit an institution upgraded on the alter of regional politics without proper funding. Isn’t such a terrible inheritance?

The cost of pronouncing a “site” as a university is not as much as setting it up to standard and getting it to compete nationally and globally with ivy league schools. As it’s really unfair to birth a child into the world of hunger and maltreatment, so is it detrimental to the good people of Ogun state to have a university to has no provision for state of the art facilities. It is erroneous to assume that a polytechnic as MAPOLY which has funded itself over the years with IGR, bleeding for lack of fund and state of the art equipment would run successfully as a university on the same idea.

It is however rather unfortunate that state institutions in Ogun state are now a shadow of what they used to be, laboratories are filled with archaic equipment, those not able to stand the test of time, buildings are deteriorating on daily basis and the fewer classrooms are available, ones which are still overcrowded. The tides of development seem to have flowed pass the gates of our institutions and the light of hope gets dimmer day after day. Government should see funding of education as a primary assignment to liberate the natives of Ogun state from the shackles of illiteracy instead of playing regional politics with the at the detriment of our futures and that of our children. Having two poorly funded university and getting stuck at the middle a crisis in establishing another isn’t eradicating illiteracy but having one that competes globally with ivy league schools.