Polytechnic Graduates Lament Non-Issuance Of Certificates Four Years After Graduation

Some former students of the Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa, Oyo State, have lamented the school authority over their inability to get their Higher National Diploma certificates four years after graduating.

The institution, formerly known as the Ibarapa Polytechnic, is owned by the Oyo State Government.

The former students graduated in 2017 and 2018 from the departments of Office and Technology Management, Purchasing and Supplying, Library and Information Science, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Marketing.

They attributed the inability of the school to issue them certificates of completion of studies to accreditation issues.

Their spokesman, Mr Kunle Adeleke, narrated their ordeal to PUNCH Metro in a telephone interview on Friday.

Adeleke, who studied at the polytechnic between 2015 and 2017, said, “We have two sets of students, who graduated from the Ibarapa Polytechnic, now Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, in 2017 and 2018.

“Since our admission, we have been having issues of accreditation as the management of the institution and the state government did not do the necessary things to get accreditation for some of the courses offered.”

He also lamented that the situation had prevented them from getting jobs due to the absence of certificates of completion of studies.

“We have done a lot of things, written a lot of letters, held meetings with the management of the institution and also government officials, all to no avail,” he lamented.

Another former student, who did not want his name mentioned, narrated the efforts so far made to get their certificates without success.

He said, “We visited the office of the Commissioner for Education and we were told that they were still working on it. In fact, at a point, they told us that in a week’s time, something would come out.

“Sometimes, when we contacted them and they felt that we were disturbing them. Many of us are having issues because in Nigeria of today, we can’t apply for jobs since we cannot present our certificates.

“Many of us got employment opportunities but because we couldn’t present our school and NYSC certificates, we lost those opportunities.”

When contacted, the institution’s Dean of Students’ Affairs, Mr Ibukun Adewusi, said the management was working tirelessly to make sure that the issue was resolved as soon as possible.

Adewusi said the institution was not given any take-off grant when it was granted autonomy in 2014, hence its inability to handle some issues like accreditation of courses.

He stated, “Yes, that particular allegation is true; we truly have not given them certificates.

“Probably, you will know that what is now the Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic used to be a part of The Polytechnic Ibadan until July 2014, when it was granted autonomy.

“When the autonomy was granted, the then Oyo State Government did not give any take-off grant to the institution, not even one kobo.”

He stressed that this was one of the major reasons why past administrations of the institutions could not attend to pressing issues such as accreditation of courses

Adewusi added that the institution had now got the courses accredited and was working tirelessly with the state Ministry of Education, the National Board for Technical Education and other stakeholders to make sure that the students were issued certificates.

Akanji assured all concerned that steps were being taken to ensure that the issue was resolved.