Fed Poly Ayede’s 2023 Budget Will Favour Students’ Multi-skills Development – Rector

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The rector of Federal Polytechnic, Ayede, Dr Taofeek Abdul-Hameed, has advised institutions of higher learning in Nigeria to embark on aggressive multi-skills development of their students in order to reduce unemployment that ravages the country, saying that the Polytechnic’s 2023 budget will focus on multi-skills development.

Dr Abdul-Hameed stated this after receiving laptops and other items worth N6m donated by the Ogbomoso Consultative Council (OCC) and presented by its leader, who was a former military governor of Ogun and Oyo states, Major General Oladayo Popoola (retd), in Ogbomoso on Thursday.

Stressing on the multi-skills development, the rector said, “If you look at our country today, many of our graduates are jobless. Are we going to continue that way? The only way out is to look inwards.

“Look at countries like Singapore, China and Japan. You will see that technical education, vocational studies and skills development are the major things and that is one of the things that I want to ensure that Federal Polytechnic, Ayede embarks on seriously and aggressively.

“That is why in our 2023 budget which I have proposed to the Federal Government of Nigeria, I have suggested that the government should build for us Students’ Multi-skills Acquisition Centre whereby students who come in, at least, will learn one or two skills before graduating from the institution.

“If that is achieved, I want to believe that our graduates will not have to rely on government jobs.”

Speaking earlier at the event, former military governor of Ogun and Oyo states, Maj. General Oladayo Popoola (retd) pledged the council’s commitment to the institution and the development of Ogbomoso communities and noted that the institution would positively affect Ogbomoso’s economy.

Gen. Popoola said, “For us to have a federal institution in Ogbomoso, you can see its economic values. Look at LAUTECH today. Whenever LAUTECH is sneezing, we too are crying because a lot of people invested in businesses around it.

“So, apart from training our people, it will also create employment opportunities for them. We expect the best to come.”