From Ahmed Muhammed Danasabe, Lokoja
Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, has recorded significant improvements in academic standards, security, and institutional governance, culminating in the graduation of 6,824 students at its forthcoming 5th Combined Convocation Ceremony.
The Rector of the Polytechnic, Prof. Salisu Ogbo Usman, disclosed this on Wednesday during a press briefing organised as part of activities marking the convocation.
Reflecting on the state of the institution at the time his administration assumed office, Usman said the Polytechnic was battling deep-rooted challenges, including cultism, insecurity, weak academic culture, poor infrastructure, and declining public confidence.
According to him, cultism and other social vices had become rampant, threatening academic stability and damaging the institution’s image, while the campus was characterised by dilapidated facilities, weak ICT infrastructure, lack of functional student hostels, ethnic polarisation, and strained relationships with regulatory and funding agencies due to abandoned projects.
He added that several academic programmes suffered prolonged accreditation setbacks, some lasting up to nine years, alongside a huge backlog of convocation ceremonies despite continuous graduation of students.
“To address these challenges, we adopted the 3R Mission of Repair, Reform and Restore, which guided our interventions through broad stakeholder engagement and a committee-driven approach,” the Rector said.
Giving a breakdown of the graduating students, Usman said 6,824 students who completed their programmes in the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 academic sessions were approved for graduation by the Academic Board.
He explained that 3,892 students would graduate at the National Diploma level, while 2,932 would receive Higher National Diploma certificates.
Out of the total number, 51 ND students and 66 HND students graduated with distinctions across various schools and departments.
The Rector said the distribution of distinctions, upper credits, lower credits and passes reflects improved academic discipline, strengthened examination integrity, and enhanced teaching and learning outcomes.
“This performance profile reinforces the Polytechnic’s reputation for producing graduates who are academically sound, practically equipped and industry-ready,” he said.
Usman added that the timely release of results and the elimination of academic backlogs signal the institution’s transition from uncertainty to predictability and renewed academic confidence.
On quality assurance, he disclosed that the Polytechnic introduced a new Statement of Result template with enhanced security features to curb falsification, alongside the deployment of e-examination, e-result computation and e-payment systems.
“These reforms have improved transparency, boosted confidence in our examination processes and ensured prompt release of results,” he said, adding that a zero-tolerance policy against extortion, imposition of textbooks and other unethical practices had also been enforced.
Addressing security, the Rector said the administration adopted a multi-layered strategy involving intelligence gathering, construction of the Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello Security House, installation of CCTV cameras, provision of patrol vehicles and communication gadgets, and extensive campus illumination through solar streetlights.
He revealed that between May 2020 and January 2026, a total of 107 security threats were detected and neutralised, while notorious criminal hideouts and illegal examination syndicates were dismantled.
Usman commended the Kogi State Government under Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for expanding CCTV coverage and solar lighting within the campus, adding that an additional 50 solar streetlights were recently donated through private support and would be installed at the Itakpe Campus.
“As we prepare to exit, we are leaving behind a Polytechnic that is more secure, academically stable, and institutionally credible than we met it,” he said.