Acting Governor Bayo Lawal said this on Friday in Eruwa during the combined convocation ceremony of the state-owned Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa, in the Ibarapa East Local Government Area of the state.

The combined convocation covered the 2021/2022, 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 academic sessions.

Mr Lawal noted that the present administration in the state recognised that education must be holistic to meet global standards, hence its commitment to advancing technical and vocational education.

Mr Lawal, while underscoring the importance of information communication technology and vocational skills in driving the state’s growth, assured that the government would continue to support the institution.

He said the support would come through adequate funding, infrastructure upgrades and policies aimed at boosting accreditation of courses and regularisation of part-time workers, among others.

He charged the graduating students to combine their academic certificates with strong character, integrity and discipline, noting that the values remain germane as they go into the labour market.

“Though, academic achievement is important, it must be complemented with moral strength and creativity to ensure long-term success,” he said.

In his welcome address, the Rector of the polytechnic, Dr Olugbade Akinteye, appreciated the state government for its consistent support for the institution.

Mr Akinteye, who highlighted the achievements of the institution in the last three academic years, said the school witnessed tremendous growth and progress under the Makinde-led administration.

He said the school was, in 2024, ranked the third best polytechnic in Nigeria by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) during the National Tertiary Admission Performance Merit Award.

He further disclosed that, in the three years under view, the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE) also accredited both existing and new courses.

According to him, academic programmes such as Estate Management and Valuation, Marketing, Accountancy, Public Administration, and Fashion Design /Clothing Technology were not available at the Higher National Diploma (HND) level before but now available for studies.

He appealed for more support from the government in terms of practical steps to regularise appointments of existing part-time staff of the institution to enhance its workforce.

(NAN)