Osun Poly Rector urges FG to expand polytechnics, stressing need for technical skills to drive industrial growth and national development

Kehinde Alabi, Rector of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, has urged the Federal Government to establish more polytechnics nationwide to accelerate national development and strengthen technical capacity.

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Alabi made the appeal on Monday during a press conference announcing activities for the institution’s eighth convocation ceremony, scheduled for Thursday, which will cover graduates from the 2020/2021 to 2024/2025 academic sessions.

The rector stressed that polytechnic education provides practical and technical skills essential for industrial growth, warning against what he described as an unhealthy rivalry between university and polytechnic graduates.

“Polytechnic graduates are those who have the practical skills that can enhance the development of industries,” Alabi said. “The reason why we have many polytechnics is to produce the technical manpower needed for industrialisation.”

He noted that Nigeria’s development challenges, compounded by an ongoing energy crisis and a decline in industrial activity, have intensified competition between graduates of both systems.

“In advanced countries, polytechnic graduates earn more than university graduates in technical areas. Unless the Federal Government realigns its development priorities, we still need more polytechnics,” he added, emphasising that both categories of graduates are trained for complementary roles.

Alabi also revealed that Yakib Afolabi of the Department of Business Administration at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti will deliver the convocation lecture on Wednesday.

The lecture, titled ‘Entrepreneurship in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities for Wealth Creation and National Development’, will be chaired by Taiwo Asaolu, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilesa.

As part of broader institutional reforms, the rector highlighted the establishment of a Career Development and Skills Acquisition Directorate, designed to equip students with relevant, future-focused competencies for the modern workforce.

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The forthcoming convocation ceremony is expected to showcase the institution’s growing emphasis on innovation and practical training, as stakeholders continue to debate the role of technical education in addressing Nigeria’s economic challenges.