Owo, Ondo State: In a historic moment for Ondo State’s education sector, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has officially broken a 12-year convocation drought at Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo.
The Rector of the institution, Mr Olorunwa Adegun, disclosed this on Monday in a news conference heralding the 12th to 23rd combined convocation scheduled for Saturday at the RUGIP campus.
Adegun said that the last convocation was held in 2013, adding that when it was time for the 12th edition, it was plagued by a myriad of problems.
He noted that when he assumed office in 2023, the institution had dived into a near ”bottomless pit of hopelessness”.
”That is where the institution was lying almost lifeless when Mr Governor came on board, and when I assumed duty as acting rector,” he said.
According to him, workers in the institution were being owed 14 months of salaries without even the slightest ray of hope regarding how payment would be effected.
He added that the payment of salary to workers in the institution became a once in a while activity and the fee was based on varying percentages as low as five per cent.
”The institution was swimming in a pool of industrial crises. Expectedly, the academic calendar became frequently disrupted.
”The institution’s Staff Schools were shut; workers there were sacked and pupils and students were dismissed.
”The institution’s business outfit, OSPO Ventures, was practically lifeless and the institution was plagued with much litigation,” he said.
Adegun said that he had mapped out strategic moves to address the humiliating practice of payment of salaries through increase in the internally generating revenue.
He added that the state governor also took a decisive step to increase the institution’s monthly subsidy substantially.
He said that the governor also made funds available through Special Intervention Fund (SIF) to the institution, bringing positive changes to the polytechnic.
According to him, normalcy has been restored to the polytechnic in meeting the expectations of all stakeholders.