Education
New Rector Promises To Upgrade LASPOTECH
The newly appointed
Rector of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Mr Oluyinka Sogunro, last Thursday pledged to improve the institution’s fortunes during his tenure.
Sogunro made the pledge during his formal inauguration as the 10th Rector held in the School of Agriculture auditorium, in Ikorodu, Lagos State.
The Tide’s source reports that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State had on June 25 approved the appointment of Sogunro as the incumbent rector to replace Mr Abulazeez Lawal whose tenure had expired on June 1.
“I am humbled by the state government’s announcement of my appointment as Rector of our great institution.
“Under my leadership, all my efforts shall be geared toward the sustenance of the culture of excellence handed over by successive administrations in the polytechnic.
“I promise to do my utmost to ensure that LASPOTECH improves on its current rating, from being one of the foremost polytechnics in our country, to becoming the best tertiary institution in Nigeria and on the continent of Africa.
“Also, we shall strengthen the cordial relationship currently existing between the polytechnic and all government agencies and institutions that are relevant to the continued development of the polytechnic,” the rector said.
Sogunro said that his administration would focus on the high quality status of academic programmes, intensify research activities and improve teaching and learning facilities.
He also promised that his administration would provide a broadband internet connectivity on the three campuses of the polytechnic, improve staff welfare and infrastructure, amongst others.
The rector solicited the support of the state government in surmounting the challenges faced by the institution.
“These challenges, which are not peculiar to the institution, include: inadequate funding, poor staffing, ill-equipped laboratories, dwindling internal revenue, and containment of land grabbers,” he said.
Sogunro promised to work closely with the institution’s labour unions, the Students’ Union and other stakeholders to ensure the school attained an enviable position.
Earlier, in her address of welcome, a senior staff member of the institution, Mrs Ronke Ige, described the new rector as “an amiable, kind and erudite scholar”.
“He has been in this terrain as the Deputy Rector, Administration, which he handled brilliantly and successfully, and has been part of LASPOTECH’s success story since,” Ige said.
Another staff member of the institution, Mr Emmanuel Adesina, administered the oath of office to the new rector, whose tenure would end on May 31,2020.
Former rectors of the institution, government dignitaries, and members of staff graced the inauguration.
A professor of Highway Engineering at the Rivers State University (RSU), Prof. Emmanuel Osilemme Ekwulo, has identified poor designs, inadequate materials, insufficient testing, and lack of accountability as major obstacles to the success of highway construction projects in the country.
Ekwulo made this remark in Port Harcourt last Wednesday during the 128th inaugural lecture series of the university, where he presented a lecture titled “Removing Roadblocks: Rebuilding a Foundation for Reliable Highway Pavement Infrastructure.”
The university don lamented the consistent premature failures of road construction projects nationwide, despite huge investments by the government at all levels, attributing the problem to neglected basics and systemic principles in the industry.
According to him, rebuilding the foundation technically, institutionally, and ethically is crucial to building strong and lasting pavements.
Ekwulo emphasized the need for political will, professional integrity, and commitment to engineering excellence to overcome the challenges.
“The metaphoric roadblocks are those challenges causing premature failures,” Ekwulo said, adding that identifying and addressing these roadblocks is key to rebuilding the nation’s highways.
He recommended that institutions involved in road design and construction adopt a mechanistic-empirical design approach, and develop a comprehensive framework for implementing the Nigerian Imperial and Mechanistic Pavement Design System (NEMPADS) approach.
Ekwulo also advocated for mandatory traffic load analysis, strengthened university-industry collaboration, and funding for applied pavement research.
Corruption, he noted, is a major challenge in the profession, saying severe punitive measures are needed to curb shabby practices leading to premature road failures.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Isaac Zeb-Obipi, described Ekwulo’s lecture as interesting and intriguing, highlighting the importance of implementing solutions to Nigeria’s highway challenges.
The Vice Chancellor also described Ekwulo’s proposals as practical and applicable to government and industry stakeholders.
He said the university is committed to research aligned with national development goals, referencing its NDV-12 responsive consortium production framework.
Zeb-Obipi noted that Ekwulo’s recommendations are timely and solution-driven, and will contribute to addressing Nigeria’s highway challenges.
Akujobi Amadi
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