A decade after the first inaugural lecture, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo under the leadership of the Ag. Rector, Mr. Gani Adebola Ogundahunsi broke the jinx and held its 2nd inaugural lecture on Tuesday, 16th October, 2018 at the Institution’s 800-Seater Auditorium.
The inaugural lecture titled: “Physical Strategies: The Nigeria Land Use Policies and Spatial Development” was delivered by Dr. Joel Kayode Adebiyi of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, in the Faculty of Environmental Studies of the Polytechnic.
The Ag. Rector, Mr. Ogundahunsi in his welcome address, noted that the lecture is an academic exercise which is useful and relevant to the development of humanity and civilization because according to him, any time a lecture is given, it adds value.
The lecturer, Dr. Adebiyi while delivering his lecture noted that Nigeria has no reason to be backward given her resource potentials and therefore called on stakeholders to make concerted efforts to overcome the causes of Nigeria’s underdevelopment, which he identified to include: unstable land use policies, bias for sectoral economic development planning, lack of appropriate research into physical development, shortage of professional planners, obsolete planning laws, political instability and corruption among others.
He also noted that lack of recognition for physical planning in Nigeria, contributed to the inadequate physical development and the current environmental problems in both rural and urban areas.
He said infrastructural provision and its efficient performance constitute an important yardstick for measuring spatial development and therefore advised that urgent steps must be taken towards efficient performance of our infrastructural services else, development would continue to elude us.
He therefore submitted that Nigeria can develop if her resources are judiciously put to use with the right policies in place and with focus driven people to implement them.
After delivering the lecture, and presenting a copy of the lecture to the Ag. Rector, Dr. Adebiyi was officially conferred with the status of a Chief Lecturer; which is the peak for academics in the Polytechnic. Meanwhile, the Ag. Rector, congratulated him and noted that the lecture has indeed added to the wealth of knowledge within and outside the Polytechnic.
Speaking further, Mr. Ogundahunsi promised to sustain the tempo by encouraging other lecturers in the institution to brace up for this academic feat adding that the Management had made arrangements to resuscitate all academic activities in the institution including the Inaugural lecturers, Polytechnic lecture series, public lectures among others.
Dr. Adebiyi, who concluded his programme in 2001 has won many prizes and recommendations from the Institution. He has published many research papers and written several approved Technical Reports and Feasibility Studies. Dr. Joel Kayode Adebiyi is a community leader. He is happily married and blessed with children.
The ceremony was attended by eminent Nigerians among whom are Prof. Felix Kayode Omole (HOD, URP Dept., FUTA and Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners), Prof. Oluwalana Isaac (HOD, FST Dept., FUTA), Prof. Bunmi Agbaje (AAUA), Mr. F. O. Adetula (Registrar, Federal Polytechnic, Ile-Oluji), Elder Tope Omolayo (President, RUGIPO Alumni), TPL (Mrs) Funmi Oluodo (Former HOD, URP Dept., RUGIPO), Dr Kayode Ariyo (Chairman, Research & Technical Journal Committee), traditional rulers, both academic and non-academic staff with student populace and other well wishers.
