– As Lagos Chapter Holds Maiden Trainin
The Rector, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Abeokuta, Ogun State, Dr. Adekoyejo Jolaoso,has called on the old students’ association of the institution to be deliberate in building bridges and be impactful through their conducts and programmes.
This is just as the Chairman, Lagos Chapter of the MAPOLY Alumni Association (MAPALUM), Mr. Gafar Odubote, in his welcome address, challenged the elected executive members of the body to imbibe the culture of the MESSAGE Pillars acronym in discharging their duties.
Speaking in Lagos on Thursday as a Keynote Speaker at the Officers Training School (OTS) seminar, with the topic: ‘Building a Purpose-Driven Alumni and Achieving Synergy With the Institution,’ held physically and virtually, for the newly elected executive members of the Lagos chapter of MAPOLY, Jolaoso, charged the executives to nurture relationships and build bridges across all spheres.
Jolaoso, who was also an old student of the institution and the first alumnus to be appointed as a Rector for the school, maintained that intentional efforts to build relationships within the alumni community were crucial to the growth of MAPOLY and its graduates.
He explained that these relationships could be nurtured through reunions, mentorship programmes, professional networking events, and shared projects.
The Rector noted that each point of engagement strengthens the network and connects alumni with students, the institution, and each other, thereby turning their shared history into a living and evolving bond.
According to him, alumni engagement could only thrive when giving is voluntary and heartfelt, pointing out that giving back may come in form of mentoring, financial contributions, infrastructure support or sharing of professional expertise.
He gave the example of the Marketing Department Alumni of the institution, which recently built and donated ‘Legacy House’ valued at N150 million to the school.
Jolaoso further canvassed for mutual benefit among members, saying that this could be achieved through collaboration and participation.
“Shared backgrounds offer us powerful platforms for collaboration. Whether it is career support, entrepreneurial ventures, or personal development, we can leverage our MAPOLY identity to open doors for one another.
“We have already witnessed how internships facilitated by alumni and business partnerships between old classmates have yielded tangible benefits. Such synergy transforms alumni into valuable social, intellectual, and economic assets,” he added.
Earlier, Odubote, in his opening remarks, said that the theme of the seminar: ‘Becoming a Purpose-Driven Alumni,’ was deliberately chosen to drive the commitment of the new executives and lead them to achieve a common goal.
He urged the executives to serve with good intention and exhibit huge commitment towards their duties.
He added that an alumni engagement, done with vision and purpose, could transform both lives and institutions.
He challenged the executives to adopt the MESSAGE Pillars acronym in their daily activities.
The MESSAGE Pillars, according to him, involved Member Empowerment, Sustainable Structure, Alumni Growth and Engagement.
“When we stepped into the office barely two months ago, we promised to lead with strategy, clarity, and impact. Today is one of the first steps in delivering that promise. And the foundation we are laying is what we call the MESSAGE Pillars—a 4-point strategic framework that will guide all our actions going forward.
“These pillars are not abstract ideas. They are already at work—in our restructured communication, our growing digital presence, our committee activation, and our renewed partnership with the polytechnic,” he said.
Also, the National President MAPOLY Alumni, Pastor Ezekiel Obasanya,called on every executive member to work together as a team and display utmost commitment in order to elevate the association.
He also charged the Lagos chapter to always give back to the school, saying, “Don’t allow our ivory tower to suffer. MAPOLY needs our cooperation and every alumnus is a key stakeholder in MAPOLY.”
He also lauded the Rector for addressing some of the lingering challenges in the institution and urged him to continue to make the old students proud.
Other speakers at the event included the, past Chapter Chairman, Mr. Olalekan Otun, Alumni Strategist and Advocate, Mr. Adebola Fashina, the Media Consultant and Brand Advisor, Mr. Ganiyu Olowu and others.
The one-day training was part of the association’s ongoing drive to foster transformative leadership and deepen strategic alumni engagement.
The training also equipped the newly elected executive officers of the association with the vision, tools, and structure needed to lead with intention, empathy, and institutional alignment.
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