Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has rewarded the three best graduating students of Ogun State Polytechnic of Health and Allied Sciences Ilese-Ijebu, with a cash gift of N2.5m each in recognition of their academic excellence at the institution’s 3rd combined convocation ceremony held on Thursday.

Those awarded the cash prize are Famuyewa Aminat from the Dental Technology department who emerged top with a CGPA of 3.75 for the 2021/2022 academic year, Rasak Temilola with a CGPA of 3.68 from Health Information Management, the overall best for the 2022/2023 session and Kanyinsola Salami with a CGPA of 3.94 from Environmental Health Technology department who emerged overall best for 2023/2024 session

Salami is also said to be the overall best-graduating student for the third combined convocation.

Abiodun, represented by his Special Adviser on Secondary Education, Mrs. Ronke Soyombo announced the N2.5 million reward for each of the best-graduating students while speaking during the convocation ceremony.

This gesture, according to the Governor, is part of his administration’s drive to create a conducive environment for intellectual growth and excellence.

The governor, in his address, praised the management of the institution for its continued development, despite its relatively recent establishment.

Abiodun said “The state government’s commitment to continue to invest further in the education sector while ensuring that students and institutions have the necessary resources to excel remains sacrosanct

“Education is the bedrock of any society, and we will continue to ensure that our students have access to quality education.

“The rewarding of these outstanding students today is a reflection of our commitment to nurturing the leaders of tomorrow”.

The governor has therefore urged the graduating students to go out there and help in revolutionising the health sector with qualitative services that will help impact the well-being of the nation.

Speaking at the event, Dr. Rasaki Akinbo, the Rector of the institution, highlighted the remarkable strides made since the institution was upgraded to a polytechnic in 2023.

According to him, as Nigeria’s first Polytechnic of Health, the institution is poised to be a leading force in the country’s health and allied sciences education.

Akinbo expressed profound gratitude to the governor for his visionary leadership and support in the development of the institution.

He said that the institution has witnessed transformative growth, with 11 new programmes accredited and five re-accredited existing courses.

Akinbo listed some of his achievements including the completion of key projects such as the Medical Laboratory Technician and Health Information Management buildings, the renovation of hostels, and the ongoing upgrade of the institution’s ICT centre among others.

He added that the institution’s Master Plan, which outlines the future trajectory for its development, was also successfully designed and is now in the implementation phase.

The Chairman of the Governing Council of the Polytechnic, Kunle Kakejaiye, in his remarks, made a passionate appeal for further state government intervention in the institution’s infrastructural development.

Kakejaiye called for the urgent tarring of internal roads within the institution and further funding of the polytechnic