Acting Rector of the Federal Polytechnic Offa, Kwara State, Dr. Olarongbe Afolabi, has pleaded with the Federal Government and other stakeholders in the ASUU strike saga to reach a compromise as quickly as possible.
Dr. Afolabi was speaking at the 28th Matriculation ceremony of the institution where he lamented that the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has also commenced its version of the strike action nationwide a development described as not good for tertiary education in the country.
According to him, both the innocent Nigerian students, their parents and guardians definitely bear the brunt of these strikes pleading with the Federal Government to reach lasting agreements with these striking teachers in the tertiary education sector.
Addressing the matriculating students, Dr. Afolabi urged them, his old as well as the entire Nigerian students to shun negative activities capable of destroying their future which individual parents toiled hard to bequeath to them.
His words; “Do not be enticed by joining the bandwagons of the ‘get rich quick’ yahoo-yahoo. Do not destroy your glorious destiny, do not cut short your life. Please refrain from this path of destruction. It is the blessing of God that makes rich and does not lead to sorrow”.
The Ag. Rector told the new students that the Polytechnic does not tolerate indiscipline stressing that any form of misconducts by anyone of them would attract stiff punishments which at times might mean an outright expulsion where any of the school rules is broken.
Dr. Afolabi emphasized on the dressing code of the Offa Polytechnic which he said does not allow dress styles like the ‘Malian’ dressing, wearing of tattered/ crazy jeans, wearing of rubber slippers, sagging of trousers, tattooing of body, piercing of nose or any part of the body except the ears for only females.
Others included wearing of ear rings by male students, air tainting or colouring of either the air or attachments saying; “these are forbidden on our campuses and serious sanctions await violators”.
The Ag. Rector also stressed that cultism and hooliganism is prohibited counseling that; “cultists and gangsters get their lives cut short. Avoid actions and attitudes that will lead to confrontation with your fellow students. be friendly with everyone and be obedient to all constituted authority without exception
He admonished the new students to be security conscious saying; “the situation in the country today requests everyone to be security conscious. I urge you all to always let your friends, colleagues or room mates know your whereabouts, you should avoid movements in the night.
“Nigeria today is in the dire need of young leaders that will lead this country to the promised land. It is therefore the desire of this Polytechnic to train to train you to tomorrow leaders-A leader tomorrow must show to show sign of leadership today because responsibility is the price of greatness”, he further counseled.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Ronke Adeshina, a Deputy Registrar who stood in for the Registrar at the occasion told the matriculants not to fall for any form of sexual harassment or request for sex-for-grades/marks by lecturers nor bow to pressures to buy books from individuals stressing that prescribed books abound in the school’s Library.
A total number of 8,000 newly admitted students running National and Higher National Diplomas (ND/HND) in the polytechnic took their oaths of good studentship at the matriculation ceremony.
