Students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, took to the streets on Tuesday in a large-scale protest against the renaming of their institution to Omololu Olunloyo Polytechnic.
The protest, which brought academic and administrative activities to a standstill, also disrupted traffic across major roads in Ibadan, leaving many commuters stranded for hours.
The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, had recently announced the renaming of the school in honour of the late Omololu Olunloyo, a former governor of the old Oyo State who passed away at the age of 89. Olunloyo, a native of Ibadan, holds the distinction of being the first person from the city to govern the state.
In response, the aggrieved students blocked the institution's main gates and some adjoining roads, expressing their disapproval of the governor’s decision.
They later marched to the Governor’s Office at the Secretariat in Agodi, demanding a reversal of the new name and the restoration of the original identity of the polytechnic.
Chanting solidarity songs and wielding placards with inscriptions such as “Revert the Name Now,” “We Are Not Consulted,” and “Our Identity, Our Pride,” the students criticised the move as unilateral and disrespectful to the institution’s legacy.
They insisted that there was no consultation with stakeholders before the decision was taken, and urged the government to immediately reverse the change.
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