We give glory and adoration to Almighty God that the long-overdue upgrading of Yaba College of Technology to Federal University of Technology Yaba has taken place in our lifetime! We thank His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Executive, and the Legislative arms of the National Assembly for this laudable achievement. We thank the Federal Ministry of Education, the Honourable Minister of Education, the Permanent Secretary, and the various directors and staff of the Ministry of Education for their contributions to the success of this project. We also give gratitude to the National Universities Commission for providing detailed guidelines for the transition exercise. Finally, the various unions are praised and congratulated for their endurance and perseverance. God will make all stakeholders enjoy the full benefits of university education in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
*Documentary Evidence*
It is real that Yaba Tech is now the Federal University of Technology Yaba! Hallelujah! Glory be to Almighty God in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen! The documentary evidence includes:
– The public speech of Senator Opeyemi Bamidele at the 37th Convocation Ceremony of Yaba College of Technology at its main campus on 22nd November 2025.
– The Federal Government Gazette number page dated 25th November 2025.
– The speech of the Honourable Minister of Education to the entire world at the 37th Convocation Ceremony of Yaba Tech on 22nd November 2025, in which the Honourable Minister referred to Yaba Tech as Federal University of Technology Yaba.
These are convincing evidence to confirm the approval of the elevation of this institution to a university! Thus, the rumors, anxiety, and agitations surrounding the conversion of this premier tertiary institution into a university for almost two decades are finally put to rest.
*Seamless Transition*
Yaba College of Technology, by name, a polytechnic, but by content and output, a modern university. Take, for instance, five of its leading programs: Accountancy, Arts, Engineering, Environmental Studies, and Applied Sciences, amongst others. There is no university in Nigeria that can claim superiority over Yaba Tech in these areas of study. The staff of Yaba Tech are academically qualified, with over 200 holding PhDs in their various fields of study. Some have published over 40 to 80 papers in reputable journals. The delay in the transition has resulted in a sizable number of teaching staff moving to universities and others attaining mandatory retirement age; otherwise, the number of staff presently holding PhDs in their various disciplines could have been over three hundred (300).
In the area of infrastructure and capacity building, there are visible and convincing evidence of massive investment in physical manpower development and investment in physical infrastructure. The massive investment in infrastructure during the tenure of Dr. Mrs. Margaret Kudirat Ladipo was massive, making judicious use of money provided via Tetfund. This was also followed by her successor, Engineer Femi Omokungbe. It is as if the two Rectors were preparing for the conversion that is taking place today. Within a short period, so many structures sprang up to the extent that old visitors would have to be piloted so as not to miss their way! A judicious use of Tetfund was visible in Yaba Tech during the regime of the two Rectors mentioned above. The works done by them are going to serve the new university for decades to come! The two former Rectors invested massively in the construction of workshops, laboratories, academic and administrative offices, and the purchase of modern equipment. They also invested in human capacity development to the extent that more than three hundred staff acquired PhDs fully funded by the college via Tetfund money. With the existence of these abundant facilities and manpower, the transition of Yaba Tech to Federal University of Technology Yaba will be a seamless exercise if properly and carefully implemented.
*Congratulations*
There is a long list of stakeholders to be congratulated for this noble assignment, including:
– President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (a fellow of Yaba Tech)
– The Honourable Minister of Education
– The current Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education
– The 10th National Assembly in Nigeria
– The various alumni of Yaba College of Technology
– The various past and present lecturers and administrators of Yaba College of Technology
– The future generations of students
*Opposition to the Transition*
Under normal conditions, the conversion of Yaba Tech to the Federal University of Technology Yaba should be a cause for celebration. No opposition is expected from those who see the benefits of this transition. However, resistance might come from quarters where the transition isn’t favourable. Implementers should ensure no one is disadvantaged by the change. The principal officers already appointed on tenure could resist, frustrate, delay, or disrupt the implementation of the transition secretly if the transition is not favourable to them in terms of limitations to their authority and power! If the new situation threatens their pecuniary authority and power for the period of their tenure, it will be resisted openly or secretly. The transition should allow the principal officers to complete their tenure in acting capacity or place them in favourable positions where they will exercise their pecuniary and administrative powers and authority up to the end of their tenure. A fair placement of staff should be done in line with NUC and BMASS. If done fairly, the transition will attract the support and approval of staff and command the blessings of the principal officers, and it will be speedily implemented without friction.
*Conclusion*
Glory, honour, and adoration to Almighty God for making the transition of Yaba College of Technology to Federal University of Technology Yaba a possibility. We appeal to the Minister of Education and the Executive Secretary of NUC to ensure a smooth implementation of the transition. Yaba Tech management and governing council should be careful not to allow the general public to see them as the ones frustrating the approval and takeoff of what the Honourable Minister has already approved! A proper implementation of this transition will cure the bitterness that has been existing in Yaba Tech for a long period of time and give birth to a new institution known as Federal University of Technology Yaba, where humanity and other creations of God would co-exist according to the promise of God in Isaiah 65:17-25, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ! Amen.
*Recommendations*
– The Honourable Minister should kindly direct the principal officers of Yaba College of Technology to ensure thorough implementation of the transition to ensure fairness and acceptance by Almighty God.
– The Honourable Minister of Education should direct the immediate composition of the implementation committee and further direct the constituted committee to commence work immediately.
– The Honourable Minister should set a timeframe to accomplish the above to enable the University to admit its first set of students for the current session.
– The Rector and Chairman of the Governing Council need to immediately constitute a placement committee for the proper placement of staff in the new university.
– Staff need to be addressed, educated, and assured of their continuity in the new system.
Babatunde can be reached on:
08035029239