By Bisola Adeyemo
The senator representing Kwara South senatorial zone, Senator Oyelola Ashiru, has presented a bill seeking the upgrade of the Federal Polytechnic Offa to Federal University of Technology, Offa.
The bill which was presented on Wednesday at the Senate plenary is for an Act to amend the Federal Universities of Technology Act Cap F23 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, and to establish the Federal University of Technology Offa by upgrading the Federal Polytechnic Offa, Kwara State.
Ashiru, while justifying the bill, stressed on the acute shortage of admission slots for students seeking to earn degrees in different courses at the few universities currently in the Nigeria.
“According to JAMB, only a few percentage of candidates secure admission due to limited vacancies in Nigeria Universities”, he said.
This challenge, he stressed, is a call for establishing more universities to cater for the demand of the qualified applicants especially from the Kwara South senatorial zone.
Senator Ashiru itemised the objectives of the bill to include:
– To upgrades the Federal Polytechnic Offa, from Diploma awarding Institution to Degree awarding Institution;
– Provides courses of instruction and other facilities in different disciplines for the pursuit of learning in all its branches, and to make those facilities available on proper terms to such persons as are equipped to benefit from them;
– Encourages and promotes scholarship and conducts research in restricted fields of learning and human endeavor;
– Relates its activities to the social, cultural, and economic needs of the people of Nigeria; and
– Undertakes other activities appropriate for the highest standard of medical education.
The lawmaker, while urging the President of The Senate and his colleagues, to support his legislative bill, stated that the Federal Government of Nigeria will not incur additional cost in converting the Federal Polytechnic, Offa to Federal University of Technology, Offa.
NatureNews learnt that the bill was read for the first time in the Senate chamber on Tuesday, 27th April, 2021.
The Federal Polytechnic Offa was established in 1992 during the administration of military President, General Ibrahim Babangida to offer Ordinary National Diploma (OND) and Higher National Diploma (HND).
Senator Ashiru explained that the high academic standards and uninterrupted academic session of the Federal Polytechnic Offa made it to be rated as one of the best 10 Polytechnics in Nigeria.
With a population of 10,000 students, he said the Polytechnic is also ranked the best affiliated institution in Nigeria by National University Commission (NUC) as it has been anchoring IJMB program since 2018 in collaboration with Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria.
The NUC, he noted, had approved The Federal Polytechnic Offa to run degree programs since the 2018/2019 academic session in affiliation with the University of Technology Minna (FUT Minna).
The Polytechnic has also finalized the process of affiliation with the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE) and Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, (LAUTECH) Ogbomoso.
