Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has called for calm over the renaming of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, after the late former governor, Dr Omololu Olunloyo.
Makinde, during the burial of the elder statesman and the first rector of the institution on Thursday, June 26, 2025, announced that the polytechnic would be renamed after Olunloyo, as a mark of honour.
Olunloyo became governor of the old Oyo State in October 1983 but left office abruptly on December 31, 1983, following a military coup.
The renaming of the institution after the statesman who died at 89 years old was met with protests from both students and alumni of the institution, who urged the governor to reverse the decision.
Addressing the protesting students on Tuesday, Makinde, represented by the Deputy Governor, Bayo Lawal, called for calm, as he assured the students that their grievances would be taken seriously.
“On behalf of the governor of Oyo State, I beg and admonish you that your demands will be placed before the governor, who is currently unavailable. Whenever he is back, your demands will be presented to him,” he assured them.
Earlier on Tuesday, the students went wild, barricading major roads in Ibadan and causing gridlock.
While the students staged a protest within the major roads in Ibadan, the state capital, the Alumni, through a statement released by its acting National President, Akinloye Lawal, appealed to the governor to rescind his decision on renaming the institution after Olunloyo.
Academic and other activities were put on hold at the institution, while hundreds of commuters plying major roads in Ibadan were also stranded as a result of the protest.
Findings by our correspondents revealed that the students blocked both the entrance gates of the institution and some other roads to show their grievances.
The protesters later marched to the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi, demanding that the institution’s former name be reinstated.
Chanting solidarity songs and holding placards with different inscriptions such as “Revert the Name Now,” “We Are Not Consulted,” and “Our Identity, Our Pride,” the students called for an immediate reversal of the renaming, citing a lack of consultation and a disregard for the institution’s longstanding identity.
The Students’ Union leader, Olamide Oladipupo, who spoke with journalists, expressed concern that major stakeholders were not involved in the decision-making process.
Oladipupo said, “We are not against honouring leaders, but not at the expense of our institution’s legacy.
“Sincerely, as bonafide students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, we are not here to fight or revolt. This is not a protest; this is a way of channelling our grievances.
“What we want is for the name of our school to remain The Polytechnic, Ibadan. This is a heritage of over 50 years with alumni all over the world.
“We can’t allow that heritage to be swept away. We want the name to remain The Polytechnic, Ibadan.”
He added that the students were at the Secretariat to plead with the governor.
“There is no placard that speaks against the governor. We want the governor to attend to us. Other monuments can be named after the late governor.
“We have ample land for the government to build on and name after him. We are open to discussions; we do not want the name to change,” he said.
The alumni, in a statement authorised by Lawal, said The Polytechnic, Ibadan had become a world-class institution with recognition worldwide in the last 50 years.
He stressed that the institution needed no introduction in the comity of the academic world, noting that it would be a disservice to the entire Yoruba race if such an Octopus institution is renamed and would start battling for recognition in the comity of tertiary institutions.
The alumni lamented that old students of the institutions in Nigeria and abroad would definitely face daunting challenges on many fronts on verifications of certificates, transcripts, and allied requests all over the world.
“The Polytechnic, Ibadan, is a brand name that should not be wished away.
“The institution is a legacy of the entire Western Region which Governor Makinde should consider millions of Nigerians whose sentimental attachments to ‘The Polytechnic, Ibadan’ and the image as well as the brand name that will be lost as a result of changing of its name.
“Even the unnecessary cost of changing the records and documents of the institution will be enormous at this moment of economic downturns.
“If this honour was done to Olunloyo in recognition of his being the first Principal of The Polytechnic, Ibadan for a period of less than six months, and Your Excellency believed that he should be honoured, it should be based on logical facts and proper analysis, not emotional,” the statement said.
The alumni recognised the contributions of Olunloyo to The Polytechnic, Ibadan, but insisted the brand name of the institution which had stood the test of time must remain.
“Your Excellency, being an alumnus of the famous University of Lagos and an ‘Akokite,’ you know that it is only a Hall of Residence – Eni Njoku Hall – that was named after the first Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG and also at the University of Ibadan, it was only a hall of residence- Mellanby Hall – that was named after the first Principal of the University of Ibadan.
“Naming any of our hostels or even our famous Faculty of Engineering after Olunloyo is a good alternative that will not affect the brand name or image of TPI.
“We implore you to please find something within or outside The Polytechnic, Ibadan, to name after Olunloyo as one will just downgrade the status of this institution of international repute that is very dear to the hearts of most of us who were opportune to have passed through it.”
The alumni recalled that Nigerians appealed to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan to rescind his decision to rename the University of Lagos after MKO Abiola, and he listened.
“Ibadan appealed to President Muhamadu Buhari to give an Ibadan man the opportunity to be the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan after 73 years of its existence on our land and he agreed.
“We, the National Executive Council, The Polytechnic, Ibadan Alumni Association, on behalf of all past and current students of this great institution, appeal to Your Excellency to please have a rethink on the issue of this change of name,” he said.
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