Students of The Polytechnic Ibadan staged a protest on Tuesday at the Oyo State Government Secretariat to express their opposition to the renaming of the institution after former governor Omololu Olunloyo.
The demonstrating students carried placards bearing various messages, urging Governor Seyi Makinde to reconsider and reverse the decision, and to retain the institution’s original name.
In large numbers, the students gathered at the secretariat, calling on the governor to uphold the legacy and identity of The Polytechnic Ibadan by withdrawing the renaming announcement made during the funeral of the late statesman.
Leading the protest was Olamide Oladipupo, President of the Students Union Government (SUG) of the institution, who appealed to the governor to preserve the history and global recognition attached to the polytechnic’s current name.
Sunday Odukoya, the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Security, addressed the students during the protest and urged them to remain peaceful.
On Thursday, June 26, 2025, during the funeral service held at Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Governor Makinde announced the renaming of The Polytechnic Ibadan to Omololu Olunloyo Polytechnic, Ibadan, in honour of the late mathematician and former governor.
Omololu Olunloyo, who passed away on *mApril 6, 2025, was the first principal of the polytechnic and served briefly as the governor of Oyo State from October 1 to December 31, 1983.
“Today, we will be giving Baba another honour to immortalise him. He was the first Principal of The Polytechnic, Ibadan; that institution will now be named Omololu Olunloyo Polytechnic, Ibadan,” the governor had declared.
Governor Makinde described Olunloyo as a man whose life was rich with accomplishments, referring to him as “a scholar, a statesman, a technocrat, a lover of culture, and a man of deep conviction.”
In recent times, the practice of renaming public institutions after prominent individuals has sparked debates, with both current and former students calling for the reversal of such changes. Similar controversies arose following the renaming of the University of Abuja to Yakubu Gowon University, and the University of Lagos to Moshood Abiola University.