Gabriel Dike
Following the return of peace on campus, Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) will next week graduate 16,315 students at its 27th convocation ceremony.
Addressing newsmen on the forthcoming convocation, the rector of LASPOTECH, Dr. Samuel Sogunro said the institution will confer honorary awards on Afe Babalola, founder of Afe Babalola University and Alhaji Babatunde Rotinwa, former Lagos State Head of Service on Thursday, March 12.
Sogunro further disclosed that the convocation lecture, titled: “Infrastructural Deficit and Technological Development in Nigeria: The Role of Technical Education,” will be delivered on Thursday, March 10 by the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
Giving a breakdown of the graduating students, Sogunro said 598 obtained distinction, 5,332 recorded upper credit, 8,268 got lower credit while 2,117 made a pass.
Sogunro, who was flanked by LASPOTECH management team, said other activities lined for the combined convocation include Inter-denominational thanksgiving service, which held yesterday, convocation Jumat service on Ikorodu campus mosque, convocation dinner/variety show on Saturday, March 7, a football match on Monday, March 9, convocation drama and exhibition.
”The polytechnic of excellence will present a total of 16,315 well-groomed, adequately-trained and highly-enterprising graduands who have completed their National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes in various disciplines needed for the nation’s socio-economic development and have acquired at least a vocational skill each at the Centre of Entrepreneurship and Skills Acquisition (CESA),” Sogunro explained.
The outgoing rector acknowledged the support of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in bringing to an end, the six-month-long industrial crisis which engulfed the LASPOTECH in 2019.
According to him, at the inception of his administration in June 2015, 40 programmes were due for re-accreditation in 2016, stating ”the number increased to 66. I am glad to inform you that all 66 academic programmes were successfully reaccredited in September 2018 through the support of the state government.”
Sogunro stressed that LASPOTECH also secured institutional re-accreditation and approval for resource accreditation for National Diploma in photography. He further remarked that the administration is poised to introduce 15 new programmes which are awaiting the consideration of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
He disclosed that LASPOTECH curriculum has been enriched to strengthened its students by introducing a General Agriculture course to students at ND and HND, noting ”this will make the students self-reliant and enhance food production and security.”