LAGOS (Scholar Sundiata) – The Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) claims that part of its efforts to realise its goal of surpassing other higher education institutions is the investment it makes in research and practical training.
The claim was stated in an interview by the institution’s rector, Dr. Ibraheem Abdul. He claims that the investment also includes increasing the amount of grants awarded to the college.
According to Abdul, YABATECH was the top polytechnic for six years and was initially established in 1947, making it the first educational institution in Nigeria.
The goal, he continued, was to top all tertiary institutions in the nation.
“This initiative was part of the vision when I came into office, to empower our staffers, repackaging our programmes and the idea, is to take YABATECH beyond the number one Polytechnic.
“We are what we are; forget about what we are called. Our projection is to become more than a university and that is what we are focused on doing now.
“We have invested in vocational education, research and in bringing more grants to the college. So, by the time we are done, let’s see what they will call us.
“Away from being the first institution in age, we want to be the first. There are other institutions in the world that are not named or called university but they are proud of what they represent, so whether we are called a university or not, we are still focused,” he added.
The rector continued by saying that the college has finished providing Lagos citizens with free cataract surgery and eye screenings for four days.
According to him, the initiative was a means of giving back to the community.
Abdul reported that over 400 people had benefited from the campaign. He said that more than 300 of them had cataract surgery at Gbagada General Hospital, and others received prescription drugs, glasses, and lenses.
“One of the most important responsibility of tertiary institution is community relation, so we organised the programme in collaboration with others, to carry out the free eye screening and cataract surgery for residents.
“The ability to see is a precious gift that millions of people around the world took for granted.
“A simple eye condition can lead to significant vision impairment or even blindness, hence the idea behind the initiative,” he said.
Ambassador International Limited (a non-governmental organisation), Lagos State Ministry of Health, Albasaar International Foundation, and Yaba Local Council Development Area (Yaba LCDA) collaborated on the event.