Students protest against renaming of Poly Ibadan after Olunloyo

Students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Oyo State, on Tuesday, staged a massive protest over the renaming of the institution to Omololu Olunloyo Polytechnic.

Academic and other activities were put on cliff hanger at the institution, while hundreds of commuters plying major roads in Ibadan were also stranded as a result of the protest.

Business Hallmark had reported that the state governor, Seyi Makinde, had renamed the institution in honour of the late former governor of the state, Omololu Olunloyo, who died at the age of 89.

Olunloyo was the first Ibadan person to serve as the governor of old Oyo State.

The students blocked both the entrance gates of the institution and some other roads to show their grievances over the governor’s decision.

The protesters 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.