The outgoing Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ile Oluji, Ondo, Prof Emmanuel Fasakin, has highlighted the importance of polytechnic education to national development.
Fasakin maintained that “Nigeria cannot develop without polytechnic education.”
The outgoing rector argued that “If polytechnic education were scrapped, the country would be doomed.”
He stressed that the bedrock of industrialisation is polytechnic education.
Fasakin said this on Sunday March 5, 2023, in Akure at the launch of his memoir titled ‘Beyond the Ordinary: The Journey of My Life and Experience at Federal Polytechnic, Ile Oluji’.
The event was organized to mark the end of his successful two-term tenure as the pioneer rector of the polytechnic.
While speaking, Fasakin noted that only polytechnic education could produce manpower needed in factories.
He added that Nigeria should not rely on manpower from outside the country for its industries to survive, emphasizing that abolishing polytechnic education is tantamount to suicide.
He, therefore, urged the Nigerian government to provide a conducive and enabling environment for Nigerian citizens to work and thrive in their respective academic endeavours.
Fasakin noted that Nigerian scholars were leaving the shores of the country to where their potential would be harnessed and well remunerated.
He stated that he documented the book to tell his life story so that people who wanted to be transformational leaders and pioneers of institutions could know about challenges and proffer solutions.
Fasakin said he had laid a good foundation in the institution regarding infrastructure and human development through teamwork and provided transformational leadership.
The outgoing rector stated that the institution, which took off in 2015, was ranked among the best in Nigeria, running the National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes.
NAN
