By Segun Adewale in Bauchi
The Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, Alhaji Sani Usman, has been honoured with the prestigious Grand Pillar of Sports Development Award for his contributions to the growth and promotion of sports in the institution.
The award was presented to the Rector during the grand finale of the 2026 Rector’s Cup, held on Sunday, October 4, 2026, at the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi sports center.
The colourful sporting event brought together Students from the various Schools of the Polytechnic, who competed in a range of sporting disciplines, including football, basketball, volleyball and track events in both male and female categories.
The tournament provided an opportunity for students to demonstrate their sporting talents, teamwork, discipline and competitive spirit, while further promoting unity and healthy interaction across the Polytechnic community.
At the end of the competitions, the School of General Studies emerged as the overall best-performing School, securing gold medals in both the male and female football categories while the School of Management Sciences emerged as runner-up, taking the silver medal.
The School of Environmental Technology was adjudged the Most Disciplined Team of the tournament in recognition of its exemplary conduct and sportsmanship throughout the competition.
Speaking at the grand finale, the Rector, Alh. Sani Usman, who was present in company of all the Principal Officers of the Polytechnic, commended the Sports Advisory Committee for organising what he described as a colourful and successful sporting event.
He appreciated the students for their impressive participation and commitment, noting that their enthusiasm had contributed significantly to the success of the Rector’s Cup.
The Rector encouraged the students to sustain the tempo and continue to participate actively in sporting activities, stressing, however, that sporting engagements must go hand in hand with academic excellence.
He charged the students to accord priority attention to their studies, reminding them that while sports are important for physical fitness, character development and talent discovery, academic pursuit remains central to their success as students of the Polytechnic.
Also speaking at the occasion, the representative of the Chairman of the Governing Council and Council Sports Ambassador, Hon. Patrick Ogunyemi, expressed delight at the impressive turnout of staff and students for the grand finale.
Hon. Ogunyemi commended the Polytechnic community for embracing sports and assured the institution of the continued support of the Governing Council for sporting activities and development.
He noted that sustained investment in sports would not only help students discover and develop their talents but would also contribute to building discipline, teamwork and a strong sense of community among members of the Polytechnic.
The presentation of the Grand Pillar of Sports Development in Polytechnic Award to the Rector formed one of the major highlights of the event, alongside the presentation of trophies and medals by to the victorious teams and outstanding participants, as contained in a statement signed by Mohammed Rabiu Wada, Director, Information and Public Relations.
