FUTI: Akinde Marks 4th Year With 100+ Departments, 27,000 Students

LARO-YEWA, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA – The Federal University of Technology, Ilaro (FUTI), has expanded from fewer than 10,000 students to more than 27,000, while increasing its academic departments from 34.

According to a release e-signed and made available to StarTrend Int’l Magazine and its online platform by Sola Abiala, Deputy Registrar, Public Relations and Protocol, Federal University of Technology, Ilaro (FUTI), Akinde assumed leadership of the institution, then known as the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, on September 27, 2022.

Four years on, the Institution is the best Polytechnic in Nigeria before transiting to a University of Technology.

The Institution has also expanded from six schools to eight specialised schools, adding School of Agriculture and School of Art and Design and Printing Technology alongside the growth in students’ population, academic programmes, staffing; academic with increase in the number of PhD holders and non-teaching, infrastructure and research activities by wining more Institutional Based Research(IBR) and National Research Fund(NRF) Grants of TETFund.

The Institution is currently fabricating 11 electric and solar powered tricycles for transportation on campus to further support clean energy initiatives of the Federal Government ably led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR.

Schools of Engineering and of Pure and Applied Sciences have also fabricated equipment for production line of Gari Processing, waste conversion for use in the farm and Printing Press as well as other patented machines awaiting interest from entrepreneurs to use as a commercial machines to help the host community.

The Institution presently use locally fabricated biometric devices by Computer Science and Computer Engineering Departments to take attendance at classrooms and Meetings, uses Python Codes to distribute students at random to write examination and mounted CCTV in some of the classrooms as test run to monitor students during examination.

The Institution is about automating students’ file and results from 1979 to date to have transcripts in less than 24 hours and fully automate registration online without use of files and papers.

The Directorate of Printing has started printing about 30% examinations booklets and 100% students’ files.

Specifically, the Institution has patented a 3-in-1 electric tricycle incorporating solar and CNG technology; an IoT-integrated solar egg incubator and hatcher with dynamic environmental control; an integrated mixer and extruder for mechanised kokoro production; a motorised digester for palm-oil extraction; a compact plastic-bottle shredder; and a customised biometric system for students and staff attendance and access control.

The Institution has started a lot of new departments to drive industrial growth of the country.

Some of these Departments and Divisions include Arts and Printing (Sculpture, Textile, Painting, Ceramics etc), Printing Technology, Metallurgical, Automotive, Auto-body, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Cement Technology, Welding and Fabrication, Renewable Energy, Agric Technology, Animal Health, Hoticulture, Crops and Agric Extension amongst many others were introduced.

The Welding and Fabrication and Cement Technology Programmes, according to the Rector and Acting Vice Chancellor were specifically designed to provide specialised manpowers for Dangote Cements PLC at Ibese and other cements companies and Dangote refineries for industrial developments of the country.

Despite the expansion recorded under his administration, Akinde has played down the achievements, saying the Institution still has much more to accomplish.

Reflecting on his 4th year period, he said: “We haven’t done anything, other than that we have to do more collectively with the Council, Principal Officers, Deans, Directors, Heads of Department, Heads of Units, Staff, Students and the Unions.”

Akinde’s connection with the institution predates his appointment as its head to lead in an Institution where his late father was a vendor and, he started as a clerk.

According to him, he began his career here in 1987 as a clerk in the Bursary Department and subsequently worked across several administrative areas before becoming an Instructor on February 11, 1999.

Akinde also studied at, and graduated from the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro with ND Accountancy in 1991 and HND Accountancy in 1994.

He added that he later became the Pioneer Head of Taxation Department in 2015 and was elected Dean in 2018 after a closely contested election in which he won by one vote, 28 to 27.

Recalling one of the individuals who supported his progression within the institution, Akinde said Alhaji Rilwan Egbeyemi, the then Registrar recognised his potential and gave him the opportunity to contribute more directly to the development of the institution.

“I must single out Alhaji Rilwan Egbeyemi, who saw that I could contribute to the development of the Polytechnic and employed me as an Instructor in 1999”, he said.

He also acknowledged the role played by his former Deputy Rector (Academics), now Ag. Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academics, Dr. (Mrs.) Charlotte Bose Iro-Idoro, Registrar, Polytechnic Librarian whom he described as his “mother, DVC Administration, Tpl. Lukman Lasisi and the Bursar, Dr. M. B. Akinola who are the obelisk through which the administration is standing.”

According to Akinde, government and TETFUND interventions have supported the Institution’s development, with high impact interventions, special interventions, agricultural farm grants, grants for Senate Building, Innovation Hubs, and capital expenditure rising from ₦400 million in 2022 to billions of naira presently.

The Institution’s electricity is improving with the ongoing 1.56 megawatts of solar energy generation through TETFUND intervention.

The Ogun Osun River Basin is also about completing the Dam in the Institution which had been a mirage since 1979 when the idea was conceived.

In addition, Senator (Aremo) Dr. Solomon Olamilekan Adeola FCA FCTI FPPI facilitated the Institution’s connection to the Papalanto feeder, and through TETFund Interventions, Management is about installing 126 in the markets, banks and other commercial buildings on campus.

Akinde also said his administration facilitated 43 projects through Internally Generated Revenue and has been able to construct a Squadron Mopol Police base for use of Mopols to enhance security of students and staff, on and off campus.

Akinde said the rise in students’ population had generated economic benefits beyond the institution’s immediate academic environment.

According to him, transport operators, food vendors and traders, among others, have benefited from the increased population.

He also attributed the continued relationship between the Institution and its host community to cooperation with the Olu of Ilaro and Paramount Ruler of Yewaland, HRM Oba (Dr) Esv Kehinde Gbadewole Olugbenle, MFR, the Asade Agunloye IV as well as the Polytechnic Ilaro Community Forum.

On the challenge of academic staff leaving the country for opportunities abroad, the Akinde-led administration intesified and ensured a strict compliance with a policy requiring staff sponsored for international studies to return and serve the institution and the country.

“We have resolved to ensure that any staff sponsored abroad for further studies must return home to serve his or her fatherland,” he said.

Akinde said the transition from the former Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, to Federal University of Technology, Ilaro was progressing, although the process was being handled strategically.

He said Committees headed by Professor Ramon Bello, a former VC of University of Lagos, and Dr. Charlotte Bose Iro-Idoro respectively had made steady progress on the respective aspects of the transition.

“Our people should know that the work of changing FPI to FUTI is progressing. Only that thing must be done strategically,” he reiterated.

He added that the institution was targeting the 2027/28 academic session for the commencement of the university education.

“God willing, we are targeting 2027/28 academic session as a start-off year,” he said.

With the institution preparing for National Universities Commission (NUC) verification, the administration is also working on an Academic Brief after which a new institutional Master Plan is expected to be finalised.

The Ag. DVC (Academics), Dr. (Mrs.) Charlotte Bose Iro-Idoro, said FUTI was preparing to commence with nine faculties, covering Engineering Technology, Sciences, Environmental Technology, Communication and Information, Administrative and Management Science, Social Science, Computing, Agriculture Technology and Visual Arts.

She added that the institution would also operate a Centre for General Studies.

The Registrar, Mrs. Aderonke Folasade Babatola, said the increase in students’ population and academic programmes had created additional demand for manpower.

She said FUTI currently had at least 80 Ph.D. holders on its staff list, while 371 new staff members had been recruited in two batches of 146 and 225.

Babatola added that the institution was seeking waivers to enable it to recruit more professors.

Looking ahead, Akinde said the next phase of his administration would focus on strengthening the “Engineering Identity” of FUTI, with emphasis on hands-on technical skills, research and practical application of knowledge.

The objective, he said, is to create an environment where research can be replicated and applied to real-world industrial and societal needs.

For Akinde, however, the progress recorded over the past four years is not an endpoint.

As he put it: “We haven’t done anything, other than that we have to do more.”