The Federal Polytechnic Ayede, Oyo State has commended a philanthropist, businessman and community leader, Alhaji Lamidi Monsuru Ayoade Ayinde Ejide, for donating ₦20.5 million towards the renovation of a building designated as a police post around the institution’s permanent site in Ayede, Ogo-Oluwa Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The donation was made during the 40th remembrance prayer held in honour of his grandmother, late Alhaja Sinat Ejide, at Ejide Central Mosque, Kuye area, Ogbomoso.
The donation followed a proposal presented to the philanthropist by the management of the institution, detailing the renovation requirements and estimated cost of making the existing building suitable for police operations.
The project, valued at ₦20,456,920 in the preliminary Bill of Quantities, will involve internal alterations and partitioning, plastering, installation of security doors, repairs to the existing aluminium roofing, replacement of damaged ceiling sections, provision of toilet facilities, plumbing, painting, tiling and electrification, among other improvements.
The initiative to secure the police post and pursue the renovation project commenced during the tenure of Engr. Dr. Temilola Morufat Adepoju as acting Rector of the institution.
With the donation secured, work on the renovation project is expected to commence soon.
Meanwhile, the Rector of the institution, Dr. Isiaka Tunji Adelabu, has commended the gesture, describing it as another demonstration of Alhaji Ejide’s generosity and sustained commitment to the growth and development of the Polytechnic.
Dr. Adelabu, in a statement by the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Sunday Adepoju, noted that Alhaji Ejide had contributed immensely to the development of the institution since its establishment, recalling his earlier donation of the popular Yellow Building at the Polytechnic’s temporary site in Iresa-Pupa.
According to the Rector, the building would provide valuable support for the institution’s operations at the temporary site, while the latest intervention would address an important security need around its permanent site.
He noted that security challenges had been among the factors hampering the institution’s full relocation to its permanent site in Ayede, stressing that the provision of a police post would help address one of the major concerns associated with the relocation process.
The Rector expressed the institution’s profound appreciation to Alhaji Ejide for identifying with the vision of the Polytechnic and consistently supporting its development, describing his interventions as worthy of commendation and emulation.
He added that the establishment of a police post around the permanent site would strengthen security arrangements and contribute to creating a safer environment for students, staff and other members of the Polytechnic community as the institution intensifies efforts towards relocating to its permanent site.
The institution, therefore, expressed its gratitude to Alhaji Ejide for his continued partnership and generosity, while calling on other well-meaning individuals, corporate organisations and stakeholders to support the development aspirations of the young institution.
