President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the establishment of the Federal Polytechnic Orogun in Delta State.
The president’s approval was conveyed to the Obarisi of Urhoboland and deputy president of the senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, in a letter dated February 23, 2021, according to information made available to The Africanscholar by Prince Efe Duku, who is special adviser to the deputy senate president
on legislative and plenary matters.
With reference number DHE/POLY/39/C.1/I/84, the letter was signed by the permanent secretary of the federal ministry of education, Arc. Sonny Echono, on behalf of the minister of education, Adamu Adamu.
The polytechnic will commence academic activities in October 2022.
Omo-Agege said “President Buhari’s gracious approval of the founding and take-off of the Federal Polytechnic Orogun demonstrates yet again his clear leadership vision that our nation must embrace the future with a truly innovative educational system, one supplying world-class human resource portfolios for national and global development. The Federal Polytechnic Orogun is another clear evidence of Mr. President’s admirable statesmanship, patriotic attention to strategic human capital development and deep love for our people.”
Speaking further, the deputy senate president said “on behalf of our traditional, religious, political, women, and youth leaders, and indeed all our people, I am profoundly grateful to Mr. President for the realisation of the dream of the establishment of this academic institution.”
He noted that he was daily humbled by God’s amazing grace which is manifest in President Buhari’s support for his humble efforts to represent “our people” with honour, courage, and distinction in the senate.
He also said he was thankful to his dear friend and brother, the honourable minister of education, Alhaji Adamu Adamu, for his leadership and sense of integrity on “this issue, like others.”
Senator Omo-Agege explained further that he has always “envisioned the possibility of public tertiary academic institutions with core Silicon Valley character in Nigeria, institutions known mainly for world-class research capabilities and first-class achievements in the sciences, especially computer science – computer graphics, network design, computer-assisted education, artificial intelligence and robotics, big data, cyber security, bioinformatics, amongst others.”
The Africanscholar learnt this was the major motivation for his introduction of the bill to establish the Federal Polytechnic Orogun in 2017 in the 8th senate, but the political environment at that time did not allow the bill to progress.
The deputy senate president then re-introduced the bill in 2019 in the 9th senate, and it was finally passed by the national assembly.
He said he was particularly grateful to his brothers, the president of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan; the speaker of the House of representatives, Rt. Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila; and the deputy speaker of the house of representatives, Rt. Honourable Ahmed Idris Wase, for their unflinching support for the bill.
