Students Protest Proposed Renaming of TPI, Demand Retention of Institution’s Name

By Bashir Muhammad

Students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan (TPI) on Monday staged a peaceful protest to reject the proposed renaming of their institution, urging the Oyo State Government to retain its original name.

The Student Union President, while addressing government representatives, emphasized the students’ firm stance on the matter. He clarified that the students were not against the state government’s prerogative to rename buildings, auditoriums, or other facilities within the institution. However, he insisted that the institution’s official name, “The Polytechnic, Ibadan,” must not be altered.

“Other buildings, other auditoriums, classes, and hostels can be named after anybody, the way the governor deems fit,” the SU president said. “But the particular name of the school, TPI, we do not want the name to change.”

The students, numbering in the hundreds, marched to the State Secretariat to register their grievances in a peaceful demonstration. They carried placards and chanted solidarity songs, drawing the attention of state officials and security personnel stationed around the complex.

Responding to the students’ demands, the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Chief Bayo Lawal, received the protest leaders on behalf of the state government. He commended the students for conducting themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner during the protest.

“You have conducted yourselves in a very peaceful manner,” the Deputy Governor said. “We have heard what you are demanding, but the governor is not around. However, your agitations will be placed before him.”

Chief Lawal assured the students that their concerns would be communicated directly to Governor Seyi Makinde for consideration. He also appealed to them to return to their campus and await an official response from the government.

The proposed renaming, which has not yet been officially announced by the state, has generated heated debate among students and alumni who consider the institution’s name to be part of its historical legacy.