NSE endows N.25m at YABATECH

Our Reporter

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Ikeja branch visited the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) last week to present a cheque of N250,000 for an academic prize.

The yearly fund instituted in memory of the late Akinsanya Oludaiye, an engineer and alumnus of the school, in collaboration with his family, is for the best graduating student in electrical engineering.

The NSE Team led by its Chairman, Mrs. Funmilade Akingbagbohun, noted that the Society’s visit was also to see how to close the huge gap between the classroom and the industry so students can fit into the industry after graduation. .

“It became worrisome for us as engineers to see new graduates not adapting to the industry, and this sad development made us come up with mentorship, internship programme and endowment fund for the students. The two daughters of late Engr. Oludaiye have put together endowment fund not only for YABATECH students but for the best student of Electrical Engineering every year from now in remembrance of their father, and the award will be presented on January 25, being the birthday of the late Engineer.”

Mrs Akingbagbohun, a 1996 alumna of the College, said that the foundation she got from YABATECH contributed to what she is today. She expressed gratitude to the institution for grooming her and people like Oludaiye and others to become exemplary engineers. She thanked the Rector, Mr. Obafemi Omokungbe and his team for putting the College back to its rightful place.

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Responding, the Rector, also an engineer, thanked NSE for the good gesture.

He said the College had set up a N50billion endowment fund to take care of its huge needs because government alone cannot do it.

He thanked the Oludaiye’s family for the initiative to write their father’s name in gold.

“Concerning bridging the gap between the classroom and the industry, YABATECH has already taken a giant step by having a partnership with a firm in United Kingdom called Field-Ready, and the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE) has approved it, and it will take effect as soon as COVID-19 issue fizzles out”.

He said that YABATECH had the culture of producing quality graduates who excel in the industry, including the chairmen of the two branches of NSE in Lagos State.