The outgoing Rector o the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State, Olarenwaju Aluko, has said that polytechnics need more electricity to operate than universities.
The rector, who clamoured for the provision of a stable source of power to the school, disclosed that one of the challenges his administration was faced with was shortage of power supply.
Aluko said this on Monday prior to a colloquium organised to mark the end of his tenure after eight years of service. He became Rector in 2014.
He further noted that the school spends a lot of money on the purchase of diesel, adding that most of their students’ practicals require electricity.
He said, “Part of the challenges here is on the part of electricity. It becomes more challenging when we consider the price of diesel now.
“If you look at the price of diesel now, we started buying a litre at N300 early this year. Now, it is almost N800.
“Now, you cannot increase the school fee because of the situation in the country, so, we just have to start managing what you have.
“And you know our students, they don’t want any increase. Even if the price of diesel is N1 million, all they want to see is water, electricity and they want their environment to be conducive to learning.
“We have more than 15 generating sets on this campus. We use N33,000 worth litres of diesel in 25 days.
“All these are various challenges that come up every day throughout the eight years.”
The rector however appealed to the government to consider spending more on polytechnics in terms of power generation, noting that polytechnics are focused on technological advancement.
He said, “But the most important aspect is independent power generation. And you know the cost is enormous.
“Except government will take over such issue because I know that they have started something with the university.
“I think they picked one university from each geo-political zone, and I think in Southwest, it’s OAU.
“So, government should just extend it.
“Because when you say you need electricity, it is the polytechnics that need power more than the universities.
“Because here you talk about practical, technological development; there is hardly any course in the polytechnic that doesn’t have a practical content.
“I think the priority should be given to the polytechnics in the next dispensation.”
Meanwhile, the outgoing rector commended his colleagues for their support throughout his tenure.
