The Alumni of the Mass Communication Department, 1995/96 set of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, have strongly condemned the recent decision by Governor Seyi Makinde to rename the institution after the late former Governor, Dr. Victor Omololu Olunloyo.
In a statement jointly signed by Mr. Isaac Aregbesola, and Mrs Aderonke Osundina, the group described the move as a misuse of executive power and a deviation from due democratic processes.
According to the alumni forum, the decision was made without consultation or legislative input from the Oyo State House of Assembly.
They stressed that the renaming disregards the legal foundation of the institution, which was established by the Polytechnic Ibadan Edict No. 15 of 1970. The Edict, they noted, provides the official legal framework for the establishment and operation of the Polytechnic.
“This is a statutory institution, not one to be whimsically renamed by any individual, no matter how highly placed,” the statement read. “There must be a legislative process to amend the edict before any renaming can be valid.”