The Acting Rector of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo (RUGIPO), Mr. Olorunwa Adegun, has announced that the institution will graduate about 25,000 students during its forthcoming 12th to 23rd Combined Convocation Ceremony, scheduled to hold on Saturday, October 25, 2025.
Mr. Adegun, who spoke during a press briefing to herald the week-long ceremony, described the event as a “jinx-breaking convocation”, coming after 12 years of inactivity.
He noted that the last convocation ceremony was held in 2013 and commended the Ondo State Governor and Visitor to the Polytechnic, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, for his decisive intervention that made the long-awaited event possible.
The Rector said it was unacceptable for a tertiary institution to operate for over a decade without holding a convocation, adding that Governor Aiyedatiwa’s administration had demonstrated uncommon commitment to restoring the institution’s lost glory.
He recalled that when he assumed office in October 2023, the Polytechnic was in a state of severe decline, describing it as being in “an intensive care unit.” Staff morale was at its lowest, salaries were unpaid for 14 months, and payments were made irregularly at varying percentages, sometimes as low as 5 percent.
The institution, he said, was enmeshed in industrial crises, legal disputes, and loss of accreditation for several academic programmes.
Mr. Adegun added that the staff school and business enterprises of the Polytechnic were non-functional, while the Polytechnic had lost its status as a centre for the conduct of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) organized by JAMB.
However, he said that with Governor Aiyedatiwa’s support, the institution had witnessed a remarkable turnaround.
He revealed that the governor approved special intervention funds that helped reduce the backlog of 40 months of unpaid salaries to just three, while also funding the accreditation of 68 academic programmes by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) — all of which were successfully revalidated.
According to him, the governor also approved funds for the organization of the combined convocation ceremony, noting that without such intervention, the event would not have been possible due to financial constraints.
Mr. Adegun stated that the Polytechnic had now regained stability in its academic calendar and industrial relations.
He disclosed that 2024 was the first year in over a decade without a single industrial crisis, adding that staff morale had significantly improved.
He also noted that the Polytechnic’s business units — including its water factory, bakery, and guesthouse — had been fully revitalized, while the staff school reopened in September 2025 with a growing student population.
The Artisan Centre was also operational, producing security doors and providing training in tailoring, shoemaking, barbing, and other trades.
He further disclosed that the institution had been adopted as a hub for entrepreneurship development in the South-West by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), with ongoing resource support to make the hub fully functional.
In addition, the Polytechnic had been designated as a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicle conversion centre, with materials already delivered for the conversion of vehicles from petrol to CNG engines — a project expected to commence before the convocation day.
Highlighting recent achievements, the Acting Rector said a chief lecturer from the institution led Nigeria to a gold medal victory at the 2023/2024 Global ICT Competition in Shenzhen, China, organized by Huawei.
He also noted that a lecturer and a student from the Faculty of Engineering won the Best Engineer Awards in Ondo State.
Mr. Adegun praised the cordial relationship between the Polytechnic and its host community, Owo, and expressed appreciation to His Imperial Majesty, Oba (Dr.) Gbadegesin Ogunoye III, the Olowo of Owo and Chairman of the Ondo State Council of Obas, for his consistent support.
He further revealed that following Governor Aiyedatiwa’s approval to upgrade Rufus Giwa Polytechnic to a university, the management had begun necessary administrative processes to complement the government’s efforts.
The Rector commended the institution’s governing council, academic board, staff unions, and alumni association for their cooperation and patriotic commitment to the ongoing reforms.
He particularly lauded the alumni for their infrastructural contributions, including solar-powered streetlights, a solar power portal, and an ongoing alumni building project, which he said would be commissioned during the convocation ceremony.
Mr. Adegun expressed deep gratitude to Governor Aiyedatiwa for his “sustained retrieval efforts” and said the convocation would not only celebrate the achievements of the graduating students but also symbolize the rebirth of the Polytechnic.
He noted that the event would be historic, as the Governor would personally preside over the ceremony and break the 12-year convocation jinx, signaling a new era of stability and academic excellence for Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo.
