Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The National Association of Nigerian Students has called on the Ogun State Government to urgently convert the Gateway Industrial and Petro-Gas Institute, Oni, in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area, from a monotechnic to a full-fledged polytechnic, describing the institution's current state as unacceptable and warning that its prolonged neglect threatens the future of technical education in Nigeria's emerging oil, gas and industrial sectors.
The NANS Secretary-General, Oladimeji Uthman, made the call in a statement issued on Sunday, October 4, 2026, expressing concern over what he described as the prolonged neglect, underfunding and poor welfare of staff at the institution. He said the conversion of the institution would expand its academic mandate, create opportunities for the accreditation of more courses and strengthen its capacity to produce skilled manpower for Ogun State and Nigeria's oil and gas sector. "It is unacceptable that an institution established to develop human capacity in the industrial and petro-gas sector is being allowed to struggle with basic challenges that should have been addressed by successive administrations," Uthman said.
The Gateway Industrial and Petro-Gas Institute was established in 2008 by an Act of the Ogun State House of Assembly under the administration of former Governor Gbenga Daniel. The institution was conceived to equip Ogun youths with vital oil and gas skills in anticipation of the Dangote refinery project and other industrial investments in the region. At its founding, it was seen as a strategic investment in the state's industrial future, positioned to serve the manpower needs of the oil and gas, construction and process industries. Nearly two decades later, however, the institution continues to operate as a monotechnic, offering a narrow range of programmes and struggling with inadequate funding, limited accreditation and poor staff welfare. Uthman noted that the accreditation of additional courses would be difficult to sustain without comprehensive institutional reform and adequate funding. He commended Governor Dapo Abiodun for his intervention in securing the accreditation of two courses at the institution but urged the government to extend the intervention to other programmes.
At the heart of NANS's demand is an argument about what the conversion would mean for the institution's academic capacity. Uthman said the conversion should not be viewed merely as a change of name but must come with adequate funding, improved infrastructure, staff recruitment and welfare, and the accreditation of relevant courses. He urged the governor to constitute a committee involving relevant government agencies, the institution's management, staff representatives and student stakeholders to develop a comprehensive roadmap for the conversion. According to him, the roadmap should address accreditation, infrastructure, funding, staffing and workers' welfare. "We are therefore calling on the Ogun State Government to begin the process of converting GIPI from its present monotechnic status to a polytechnic. This will give the institution a broader academic mandate and enable it to offer more programmes that are relevant to the needs of the state and the Nigerian economy," Uthman said.
The NANS intervention also drew attention to a longstanding grievance among the institution's workers. Uthman expressed concern over the disparity in the remuneration of GIPI staff, noting that employees had allegedly remained on an outdated minimum wage structure for years while other government workers had benefited from successive wage reviews. He appealed to Governor Abiodun to urgently review the salary structure of GIPI workers and integrate them into the appropriate state wage regime. "The welfare of workers is inseparable from the quality of education they provide. You cannot expect an institution to function effectively when its workers are neglected for years," he said. The issue of staff welfare has been a recurring complaint at the institution, and it reflects a broader pattern in Nigeria's technical and vocational education sector, where institutions established with high aspirations often struggle to retain qualified personnel due to poor remuneration and working conditions.
The demand for GIPI's upgrade is not new. In December 2019, an Ogun State Assemblyman appealed to the state government to upgrade the institution to a polytechnic, arguing that the change would motivate students and expand access to technical education. More recently, in November 2025, Senator Gbenga Daniel, who represented Ogun East and established GIPI during his tenure as governor, pledged to revive the institution and push for its elevation into a full-fledged polytechnic. Daniel made the commitment during a visit to Oni, where he acknowledged that the institution had been left to decay for years. He said he would leverage his influence at the federal level to push for the upgrade, framing it as essential to ensuring that the institution could offer more than a single programme focused on oil and gas training. The convergence of NANS's demand with the senator's pledge suggests a growing consensus that the institution requires fundamental restructuring to fulfil its original mandate.
The strategic context of the demand is significant. Ogun State has emerged as a major industrial and maritime hub in Nigeria, with investments in the Ogun Waterside axis, including the proposed Gateway Deep Sea Port and the Blue Marine Special Economic Zone, which are expected to generate demand for technical manpower in the oil and gas, logistics and manufacturing sectors. The revitalisation of GIPI would position it to serve these emerging industries, providing the skilled workforce required to sustain the state's economic ambitions. Uthman said the institution's strategic importance had increased with the development of Ogun State's industrial and maritime sectors, particularly the emergence of major investments around the Ogun Waterside axis. "GIPI is strategically located in an area with enormous industrial and maritime potential. Rather than allow the institution to collapse, the government should reposition it to become a major centre for technical and technological education," he said.
The Ogun State Government has not issued a direct response to the NANS statement as of Sunday evening. The government has previously demonstrated a willingness to upgrade technical institutions, notably converting the Ogun State College of Health Technology in Ilese to the Ogun State Polytechnic of Health and Allied Sciences in 2023. That precedent, which NANS and other stakeholders have cited, suggests that the conversion of GIPI is achievable if the political will exists. The proposed upgrade would require legislative action, accreditation by the National Board for Technical Education and significant investment in infrastructure and staffing. The committee NANS has proposed would be a first step towards developing a roadmap for the transition. For the students and staff of GIPI, the demand represents an opportunity to transform an institution that has struggled for relevance into a modern polytechnic capable of offering a broad range of technical programmes. For Ogun State, it is an opportunity to align its technical education system with the needs of its growing industrial economy. For NANS, the call is part of a broader advocacy for improved funding and welfare in Nigeria's tertiary institutions. As Uthman put it, the conversion should not be viewed merely as a change of name but as a comprehensive reform that addresses the institution's fundamental challenges and unlocks its potential as a centre of technical excellence.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments