Why renaming educational institutions is a disservice to sustainability

The recent decision by Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, to rename The Polytechnic, Ibadan, after its pioneer rector, Dr. Omololu Olunloyo, has stirred public outcry, student protests, and widespread backlash across media platforms.

The declaration, made during the June 20 interdenominational commendation service for the late former governor, was perhaps intended as a tribute to a man seen as a cerebral figure in the state’s political and educational history.

However, from a sustainability standpoint, the move reveals deeper issues around governance, stakeholder engagement, institutional continuity, and the safeguarding of public legacy assets.

Note that sustainability is not only about preserving our physical environment or promoting green growth, it also concerns itself with cultural preservation, institutional memory, and the conscious transmission of identity and purpose across generations. The Polytechnic, Ibadan, founded on August 7, 1970, as a successor to the then Technical College, Ibadan, was envisioned as an engine for producing technically skilled Nigerians for the industrial development of the country.

Over decades, it has risen as a proud symbol of Oyo State’s educational advancement, embodying values of hard work, innovation, and resilience.

The Polytechnic, Ibadan, is more than brick and mortar. It is a community, a brand, and a heritage. It carries the aspirations of thousands of families who saw in its halls a ladder out of poverty. Its identity is steeped in collective ownership, and that identity has outlasted political dispensations, administrators, and educational reforms. To rename such an institution without comprehensive stakeholder consultation, or a transparent legacy impact assessment, is an unsustainable, shortsighted gesture, no matter how noble the intent.

History, both globally and within Nigeria, cautions against politicizing institutional identities.

In 2012, former President Goodluck Jonathan renamed the University of Lagos to Moshood Abiola University. That move, made on a national broadcast, was met with spontaneous street protests, legal action, and a backlash so fierce that the government was forced to retract the decision in less than a year. Similarly, despite the renaming of the University of Ife to Obafemi Awolowo University in 1987 by military decree, the institution’s alumni and students continue to identify proudly as products of “Great Ife.”

These cases underscore a deep truth: educational institutions are public treasures that outlive individuals and political regimes. They should not be rebranded on the altar of sentimentality.

Honestly, public institutions are part of a state’s social infrastructure. Their identity, legacy, and continuity are components of a larger social contract between governments and the people. CSR demands accountability, stakeholder inclusivity, and actions that prioritize public good over political optics. A CSR-conscious government would understand that commemorations and tributes should never jeopardize institutional memory or alienate core stakeholders like students, alumni, and academic staff.

That is precisely what has happened here. Students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, have condemned the renaming as “unjustifiable” and “a threat to the institution’s identity and legacy.” The Students’ Union Government has appealed to the Oyo State House of Assembly to reject the decision. Protests have already broken out on campus. The Non-Academic Staff Union and various coalitions of stakeholders have also described the decision as “tone-deaf” and “bereft of consultation.”

Public outcry is not mere noise. It is a signal that something is fundamentally wrong with the process. It shows that the decision did not pass the litmus test of social acceptability, stakeholder validation, or brand integrity. A CSR-responsible administration must engage, not impose. It must listen before declaring. Sustainability, at its core, is about long-term value—not short-term gratification.

Omololu Olunloyo’s contributions to education and governance in Oyo State are significant, and there are many respectful, enduring ways to honour him. The governor could have named a lecture theatre, administrative building, or even a new state institution after him. This approach would honour the individual while preserving the existing identity of The Polytechnic, Ibadan. The problem is not in honouring great men; the problem is when honouring them erodes the social fabric and shared identity of a people.

Let us also not ignore the symbolism of cities like Ibadan. As a city that hosted the first television station in Africa, the base of the former Western Region, and the hub of Yoruba intellectual life, Ibadan stands as a custodian of educational and cultural excellence. The Polytechnic, Ibadan, is part of that history. Reducing its identity to the name of one individual no matter how distinguished risks shrinking a broad legacy into a single narrative. It is, in effect, erasing a mosaic and replacing it with a portrait.

Governance rooted in CSR would understand that legacies are not imposed, they are built. Legacies are not declared from pulpits, they are affirmed by the people. When the people do not affirm, the legacy fails to endure. If Makinde insists on the renaming, despite overwhelming opposition, he runs the risk of repeating Jonathan’s misstep, where a good intention was lost to poor execution and disregard for public sentiment.

Note that public institutions are not just educational centres, they are brands. The Polytechnic, Ibadan, has built brand equity over decades. Students, alumni, recruiters, and academic collaborators identify with that brand. Changing the name disrupts this equity, introduces confusion in academic and professional networks, and risks eroding trust. From a sustainability viewpoint, this is a reputational and operational risk.

Nigeria needs to begin taking its institutional branding seriously. In countries where education is cherished, legacies are preserved. Harvard has not been renamed despite the passage of centuries. Oxford has not been renamed, despite the contributions of countless distinguished alumni. These institutions value heritage, identity, and continuity. Nigeria must emulate this if it hopes to build world-class institutions that can withstand time and politics.

Makinde and indeed the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) must learn from this. Leadership is not about monuments, it is about meaning. The truest legacy any leader can leave is the memory of positive impact, the institutional frameworks they helped strengthen, and the people they empowered. Monuments can be pulled down. Names can be changed. But actions, good or bad remain etched in public memory.

The Polytechnic, Ibadan, should retain its name not out of defiance, but out of respect for its legacy, its community, and its enduring brand.

Governor Makinde can still honour Omololu Olunloyo in countless other ways that do not disrupt a heritage so carefully nurtured.

In CSR and sustainability practice, the past matters, the people matter, and the future must be protected. Let us preserve what is ours, and honour those we respect without sacrificing what generations before us have built.