YABATECH Transition: Afolabi Calls for Urgent Reforms, Stronger Security

Funmi Ogundare 

The Chairman of the Governing Council of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Prof. Funso Isolaowa Afolabi, has called for urgent institutional reforms and the establishment of a super intelligence force to address emerging challenges as the institution prepares to transition into the Federal University of Technology and Vocational Studies, Yaba, Lagos.

Afolabi, who made the call at the third quarterly general meeting of the Governing Council, described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent to the bill establishing the university as a defining moment in the institution’s history.

He stated that the development should spur renewed commitment to accountability, transparency, innovation, staff welfare and improved academic standards.

In his paper titled, ‘Answering Tomorrow: Future-Facing Our Collective Pursuits of Higher Technical Learning and Practice in an Institution in Transition’, he said the anticipated transition requires the governing council, management and academic board to move beyond celebrating the achievement and begin preparing for the demands of university status.

“We are now ready to start answering tomorrow,” he stated, emphasising the need to translate the institutional transformation into measurable improvements in teaching, research, practical training, infrastructure, staff welfare and student development.

He identified transparency and accountability in student admissions and administration, staff recruitment and retention, technical operations, student affairs, professional union relations, academic administration, external collaborations, research, project monitoring, campus security and facilities management as priority areas requiring sustained attention.

The chairman said the institution had adopted several governance and management strategies to address its challenges, including digitalisation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), performance reviews, benchmarking, infrastructure rehabilitation, stronger partnerships, discipline and rewards, and outsourcing.

He also emphasised the need to strengthen research and development, publications, entrepreneurship, technical innovation and environmentally sustainable practices, while adapting global solutions to local needs.

Afolabi said the success of the reforms would depend on effective collaboration among the governing council, management and academic board, with decisions guided by facts, professional standards and the institution’s long-term interests.

He added that YABATECH must preserve its historic leadership in technical education while embracing the academic culture and operational demands associated with its transition to a university.

To gauge expectations about the institution’s future, the chairman presented survey findings covering student training and funding, staff development and welfare and facilities across the Yaba and Epe campuses.

The findings showed that 82 per cent of respondents expressed optimism about improvements in student training and funding, while 71 per cent anticipated progress in staff development and welfare. Another 63 per cent expected improvements in facilities and buildings.

Afolabi described the results as an encouraging indication of confidence in the institution’s future but warned that the positive outlook should not lead to complacency.

He said the findings also highlighted the need to address infrastructure gaps, improve staff welfare, strengthen student support and ensure that the benefits of the transition reached members of the college community across both campuses.

The council chairman attributed the institution’s transformation to the combined efforts of the Federal Government, National Assembly, governing council, management, academic board, staff, students, professional unions and other stakeholders.

Afolabi further stressed the importance of effective public relations and protocol in communicating the institution’s achievements, managing stakeholder expectations and reassuring staff and students about the opportunities and responsibilities accompanying the transition.

He urged the governing council and management to sustain their collaboration, adopt proactive approaches to institutional challenges and ensure that all reforms were implemented consistently and sustainably.

“Timely interventions and effective follow-through would be critical to securing the institution’s future and ensuring that its transition into a university delivered tangible benefits,” the chairman stated.