Before her appointment, Ogunfayo, a serial record breaker, was the Dean, Directorate of Students Affairs, and deputy Rector, the first female to be appointed into these two exalted positions in the polytechnic’s 43 year- history
The Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, Southwest Nigeria, has appointed Engineer Mrs. Idowu Kaosara Ogunfayo as the first female Acting Rector in the 43 years’ history of the Polytechnic.
The governing council of the institution established in July 25, 1979, announced the appointment of Ogunfayo with effect from Monday, September 26, following the glorious retirement of Architect Olusegun Aluko.
In an exclusive interview with Platforms Africa, the engineer listed key factors that have been her driving forces despite being born into a polygamous home, and with humble backgrounds.
“To God be all the glory,” she started, “I will say my first teacher was my father. Though he didn’t complete a secondary education, he was a man that placed premium value on education for his children.
“During our days, you won’t be enrolled into a school if you are not six year old. So, before we were enrolled formally into a school, my father would gather and start teaching us. It was a big family with extended family members; we had our cousins too around and so, he would gather us and teach us Mathematics and English. So, when I started school formally I was always ahead of the class.
Engr. Idowu Ogunfayo
“I started living with my brother, a civil engineer, Engineer Aderemi of blessed memory, when I began my secondary education. He also tutored me mathematics and physics and his choice of profession influenced me to be an engineer too.
“I became a graduate at 22 and did my NYSC in Obudu local government in Cross River state at the age of 22. I worked at an Engineering consultancy firm in Ibadan after NYSC for three years. And, when I married, my husband was a staff of The Federal Polytechnic Ilaro and I have to move down to Ilaro. I came in here as technologist II in 1985 and I rose through the ranks. I converted to the instructorship cadre then, later to the rectorship cadre where I rose to the highest rank.
“If you are talking about the career projection, all I know is that since I came to the institution, working with students is not something easy but once they see you as a disciplined person, they tend to comport and I am seen as somebody that is very disciplined. And, I always try to be fair to students because if you are disciplined and victimise them, they will say. But if you are disciplined and they understand you, they know that that is you and they take it like that.”
The young girls who aspire for greatness in life should be focused,” she continued. “They should be proud of the way they are created by knowing that they can aspire, even as girls, to the highest level in their chosen careers.
“To excel in life they have to give priority to planning. They should also know that the responsibility of building the nation is on the shoulders of everyone; male or female.”
