Students of The Polytechnic Ibadan protested against the institution’s renaming after former Governor Omololu Olunloyo, carrying placards and urging Governor Seyi Makinde to reverse the decision.
The students, who thronged the Oyo State Government Secretariat in their number, urged Makinde to protect the legacy and name of the Polytechnic Ibadan by reversing his decision to name it after the late mathematician former governor of Oyo State, as proposed last week during the funeral rites of the late statesman
The students, led by the President of the Students Union Government, Olamide Oladipupo, converged at the Oyo State Government Secretariat to express their discontent.
Recalled that Governor Makinde announced the name change during Olunloyo’s funeral service on June 26, 2025, citing Olunloyo’s contributions as the institution’s first principal and former governor.
“Today, we will be giving Baba another honour to immortalise him. He was the first Principal of The Polytechnic, Ibadan; that institution will now be named Omololu Olunloyo Polytechnic, Ibadan,” the governor had stated.
According to Makinde, “Olunloyo lived an eventful life and that his attainment and personality could not be summarised in one sentence, as he was a scholar, a statesman, a technocrat, a lover of culture, and a man of deep conviction”.
The students, however , expressed concern that the name change would erase the polytechnic’s identity and legacy, which was recognised globally under its original name.
The Executive Assistant to Government on Security, Sunday Odukoya, addressed the students and appealed for calm.
Olunloyo, who died on April 6, 2025, was the pioneer principal of the polytechnic, while he also served as governor of Oyo State between October 1 and December 31, 1983.
