It was a moment of laughter, embraces, joy and fun at the maiden edition of the alumni association of Yaba College of Technology’s School of Engineering yesterday got together to forge a common front in order to give back to the society after almost 30years.
More than anything, the former students came together to brainstorm on how graduates from their alma mater are worthy ambassadors all over the world.
This was confirmed in an exclusive interview when the President of the Yaba College of Technology Alumni Association, Mr Olufemi O Martins, suggested that merging technical institutions, polytechnics and colleges of education under the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) policy is a misnomer.
Martins said failure to understand the real goal of the Nigerian policy on education has led to the altering of NBTE curriculum.
“There is a big difference between these institutions but we have failed to realise that students in colleges of technology are trained to re-engineer the society and this is an area we need to look into. During my time, we never fought for the BSC/HND dichotomy, but the moment we began to realise the disparity, we have continued to agitate that technological education be recognised,” Martins explained.
“We are a practical oriented institution, trained to create jobs and not to be an employee. Technological education was meant to be our mainstay but our policy makers have continuously gotten it wrong.
“But I believe that people put together to support the alumni association of Nigeria will make a change and the best is yet to come.”
The keynote speaker at the event, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Slot Systems Limited, Mr Nnamdi Ezeigbo, who took the gathering on dos and donts of being a successful entrepreneur advised that there is need to be intentionally strategic to be successful.
“Always get the right information that aligns with what you do. Ensure you do it with integrity and always envisage that things can go wrong also. If we all do our businesses with integrity, we will make a positive impact in Nigeria, Africa and the world,” he said.
The first alumnus to be rector of Yaba College of Technology, which over 70years old, Engineer Obafemi Omokungbe, who later joined the gathering expressed his delight at seeing such a crowd.
“In the past one and half years, it’s been pretty difficult for me to get this kind of crowd as alumni of Yaba Tech, a school that is over 72years,” he said, “For us to have a formidable association, we would have to do it on faculty level.”
Engr. Omokungbe appreciated the members for keying into alumni by faculty suggestion as the alumni association of School of Engineering kicked off. He also appealed the alumni to come together and support their alma mater in the area of infrastructure.
“Let me be honest with you, government can’t do it alone. And so we have gone ahead to set up an endowment fund to the tune of N50billion to be launched March 10, 2020 and we would want you to be part of it,” he concluded.
The alumni, however, network, danced and ate as they continue to engage into the night.
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