UAES MIRROR

UAES VICE-CHANCELLOR PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR IMO TRADITIONAL INSTITUTION*

The Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Umuagwo, Imo State, Prof. Christopher Chiedozie Eze, has expressed support for the traditional institution in the state. He also expressed readiness to work with traditional rulers in the state in areas of mutual interest.

The Vice-Chancellor made these remarks when a team from the Imo State Council of Traditional Institution and Community Policing paid him a familiarization visit on Wednesday 7th February, 2024.

The VC also appealed to the visiting traditional rulers to advertise the University to their subjects. In his words, “Our University has a flexible admission policy. We do not engage in admission racketeering. Our cut-off is 140 and it is within reach. We run 29 programmes spread across five Faculties of Agriculture, Business, Engineering, Environment and Science and Computing. Our tuition is affordable and our environment is serene for bountiful academic harvest. We thank His Excellency, Dist. Senator Hope Uzodimma for the rare vision of establishing this unique University.”

In his speech at the occasion, the leader of the team and Eze of Eziobodo Community, HRH Eze Lucky Okoro (PhD), stated that they were at the University at the behest of Eze Imo and Chairman of the Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers and Community Policing, HRH Eze Dr. Emmanuel Okeke, to familiarize with the Vice-Chancellor and Management of the Institution and give them their blessings.

He congratulated the Vice-Chancellor on the achievements recorded in the University, adding that Ndi-Eze Imo were willing to partner the Institution on areas that would be mutually beneficial to both parties.

Other traditional rulers on the entourage included HRH Eze D. 0. Izim, HRH Eze M. C. Nwokoma and HRH Eze Eric Uchegbu, while the traditional ruler of Umuagwo was represented by Nze S. A. Ogbuji. The team was accompanied by some officials of the Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers Secretariat.

*EU-UAES DIGISOL PROJECT GETS VALIDATED IN ABUJA*

By: Ugochukwu Iwuji

The European Union partnership project with the University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Umuagwo Imo State and two other Nigerian Universities gains momentum with a validation event in Abuja between the Wednesday 13th December and Thursday 14th December, 2023.

In a media chat, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Christopher Chiedozie Eze, reveals that the event which holds at Fabino Hotels by Top Rank, Gimbiya Street, Area II Garki Abuja, promises to be a milestone in the development of digital solutions for farmers at remote communities of Nigeria in an era of various shades of extreme climatic conditions.

While the University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Umuawo, Imo State, is the lead partner in the EU-sponsored project, other Institutions in the partnership include the University of Agriculture Abeokuta and the Al-Hikmah University Ilorin, Kwara State.

The project is aimed at fostering collaborative efforts among the Institutions involved in implementing cutting-edge digital solutions that can be deployed to guarantee adequate food productivity despite acute climatic conditions.

Essentially, the project focuses on educating rural farmers about innovative farming practices through e-learning platforms that can promote sustainable farming techniques.

By so doing, the project seeks to address inherent vulnerability experienced by farmers in rural communities, who are barely literate in the use of digital solutions to circumvent agro-related challenges. It is reassuring that the project also fosters social inclusion by aiming to empower rural women and the youth by enhancing their agricultural skills. This will help to enhance rural social integration and contribute to inclusive growth and eliminate social inequalities.

The two-day validation project in Abuja will be declared open by the Minster of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi.

There would be a welcome speech at the ceremony by Professor Christopher Chiedozie Eze, Vice-Chancellor of the lead partner, University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Umuagwo, Imo State. Remarks will also be taken from the Vice-Chancellors of the other two partnering Institutions of Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta and Al-Hikma University, Ilorin.

The crux of the validation workshop would be the discussion of key findings of the project by the Country Project Coordinator, Prof Chris Emenyonu of the University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Umuagwo, Imo State, who would also present the over-view of the project in Imo State. Similarly, findings from Kwara State would be shared and discussed by Dr. Tajudeen Ajala of Al-Hikmah University Ilorin while Prof. Dipeolu Adewale of Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta will discuss findings from the rural communities of Ogun State.

In the end, the Validation Workshop will be enriched with lectures on key lessons in the promotion of digital solutions and green Agricultural practices in Nigeria as well as on innovative digital solutions for competitiveness and growth of the Nigerian farmer.

Mr Farook, can Peter who won states in the South West, North Central and South South be uncharitably clothed in the ethnic garb? Please let's quit holding jaundiced views in our writings.

*UAES HOLDS STAFF ADVANCEMENT RETREAT AS VC EGBULE REELS OUT ACHIEVEMENTS*

By: Dr Alexander Onwumere and Dr Ugochukwu Iwuji, Owerri

In line with his consistent knack with staff advancement and institutional excellence, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Umuagwo, Imo State, Prof Patrick Egbule, has held a vision advancement retreat for members of staff, both teaching and non-teaching.

The main purpose of the training held last Wednesday at the University Entrepreneurial Centre, according to the university chief is to “sensitize all staff on the mission, vision, and new directions for the university, especially as we commence the first academic semester of the second year of UAES as a budding university.”

The staff retreat afforded the Vice Chancellor, who has been acclaimed as hardworking and result-oriented, the opportunity to reel out his achievements in spite of the daunting task of planting a unique university like UAES. These milestones cut across massive infrastructural revolution, curriculum standardization, staff recruitment, modern agricultural development and utilization of massive hectares of land to plant high-yielding cassava varieties and pineapple suckers, as well as a deliberate periodic staff capacity-development programme, among others.

What, perhaps, may be the icing on the cake is the VC’s announcement of the university being enlisted on TETFund’s 2022 intervention projects, a move which would see the agency construct and equip a 500-seater auditorium, as well as intervene in the areas of ICT and library development. Meanwhile, the Vice Chancellor has stated that a total of 42 members of staff had been listed as beneficiaries of the TETFund intervention programmes spanning across Academic Staff Training and Development (ASTD), Institutional Based Research and Conference Attendance, among others.

The Vice Chancellor also reminded staff that the UAES as a modern university is envisioned to provide excellent and conducive environment for teaching, learning, research and service that shall be deemed outstanding in all ramifications. He reiterated his BLISS agenda of Build, Lead, Innovate and Serve, a working vision that is anchored on the need to make position UAES as top-ranked world institution.

In a lecture entitled “Towards Global Competitiveness,” the guest speaker, Prof Apollos Nwauwa of the Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA, charged academic staff of the university to distinguish themselves in the tripartite functions of an academic staff which include teaching, research and community service.In addition, he enjoined staff to assist in the provision of academic advisory to students as well as access learning outcome on what had been taught. He also asked staff to be part of the student admission drive of the university as it is done globally.

Meanwhile, a veteran university administrator and unionist, Prof Ukachukwu Awuzie has charged the internal members of the Governing Council of UAES to work in synergy with the Vice Chancellor for the smooth running of the cutting-edge institution. Prof Awuzie who is also the former Vice Chancellor of Imo State University made this charge at the second leg of the Staff Development Retreat which was held at the University Council Chambers. According to the university don, the role of internal council members are not that of fault-finding and mindless criticism of the VC’s actions, adding that members are expected to cooperate with the Vice Chancellor to achieve targeted objectives. He also warned that internal bickering could expose the budding university to undue external aggression.

It will be recalled that the University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Umuagwo is a public University established by an act of Imo State Parliament Law No. 4 of 2019, amended in Law No. 7 of 2020 and officially gazetted as No. 20, Vol.44. The university is licensed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) as the 49th State University in Nigeria and the 171st in the federation in 2019, to run 29 programmes across five faculties of Agriculture, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Science and Computing and Arts, Management and Social Sciences.

Charged with the daunting task of founding the University from the scratch, the Vice Chancellor, Prof Patrick Ekezie Egbule, has been consistent in harnessing and deploying staff development initiatives, institutional collaborations, administrative finesse, ICT, technological innovation, global best practices and Quality Assurance templates to grow the budding university into a gracefully bourgeoning institution of excellence.

The smart Rector of Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Engr. Dr. Michael ChidiebereArimanwa FNSE, JP, has bagged the Justice of Peace (JP) award. The award was conferred on him by Government of Imo State last Thursday at the Bar Centre, Magistrate Court Complex, Owerri.

Speaking at the epoch-making event, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Imo State, Chief C.O.C Akaolisa congratulated the personalities who qualified for the investiture.

He traced the Justice of Peace investiture as taking roots in England in 1195 where Knights were commissioned to enforce peace in their communities. He therefore charged them to be keepers of peace in their various communities, adding that they should see themselves as lay magistrates who perform all the functions of a magistrate save holding a formal court. The commissioner also enjoined the appointees to be fair, firm and diligent in administering justice to the people. Finally, the commissioner charged the new Justices of the Peace to be of noble character and to shun all local politics.

Inaugurating the new Justices of the Peace, the Commissioner for Justice remarked that it was only in an atmosphere of peace and security that Imo could thrive as a state. He regretted the acts of insecurity that had pervaded the state, calling on the violent non-state actors to lay down their arms and embrace peace.

He finally called on all the appointees to strive to maintain peace in their various localities. Earlier, the smart Rector, Engr. Dr. M.C Arimanwa FNSE, JP, had made a prayer where he solicited the grace of the Almighty to guide the new Justices of the Peace to dispense their duties in line with their charge.Speaking with newsmen after the event, the Rector expressed joy at the conferment. Hear him: “I feel very happy and excited because it is a call to duty. We have been given an assignment to administer justice. And I am willing to undertake this task. We are going to work with the traditional rulers to ensure the dispensing of justice at the community level.”

Asked how he felt receiving two notable awards in less than six days, the polytechnic chief answered thus: “I feel very honoured. For me, I go about doing the best I can in the assignments that come my way. People see these efforts and the only way they can readily show their appreciation is by giving me awards. Since I became Rector, I have received over one hundred awards from reputable local and international organizations.”

In another development, the Rector of Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Engr. Dr. Michael Arimanwa FNSE, penultimate Saturday bagged an Outstanding Personality Award before an audience of over three thousand people.

The award was given to the Rector in a leadership conference hosted at Landmark Event Centre by Jamie Pajoel International (JPI). The award was given to the Rector in honour of the great leadership exploits he has made in the polytechnic in the areas of human capacity development, technological breakthrough, infrastructural transformation and massive ICT deployment in the frontline polytechnic.

Speaking at the award ceremony, the founder of the organization, Jamie Pajoel, appreciated the Rector for the outstanding achievements he has recorded in Federal Polytechnic Nekede through effective leadership. Thus, he expressed hope that the award would further spur him to greater leadership attainments in the institution where he superintends. He also thanked him for personally coming to collect the award.Responding, the smart Rector expressed gratitude to the JPI Group for finding him worthy of the award.

He also appreciated the group for keeping track of the excellent leadership strides taken by his administration in Federal Polytechnic Nekede. The cerebral scholar also thanked the group for the timeliness of the leadership summit aimed at preparing the youth for great attainments.

According to the Rector, “We are motivated by what is happening here today. Some of the things said here are what we have been telling our students. I am glad that a lot of young people are here because there is no other way to go than moving forward.

The theme of moving forward which this conference espouses calls the attention of everyone to strive to move forward, and not live a life that directly reflects the Adamic age. We will continue to support Jamie Pajoel International in ways we can. May I once again express my heartfelt gratitude for the award. Thank you!”

The Outstanding Personality Award on the Rector comes barely two weeks after he received an award of honour from the Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri Women’s Association (FEPNOWA) for his outstanding leadership initiatives in women’s development. Recall that Engr. Dr. Michael Arimanwa has also bagged Best Rector Award in over three occasions in addition to so many others given by national and international organizations.

Notably, all the awards bagged by the Rector are owed to his uncommon leadership exploits.

In a move consistent with his nature of compassion and benevolence, the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Engr. Dr. Michael Arimanwa, has effectively crashed the cost of transportation in the trail-blazing institution of higher learning.

FEDPONEK GAZETTE can reveal that the crashing of the cost of mobility was necessitated by the Rector’s kind disposition towards indigent students who were on the receiving end of the old transport regime. Similarly, the Rector crashed the price to sanitize the process for greater productivity. It will be recalled that the Rector has remained unwavering in shielding students from any form of exploitation.

Announcing the new price regime on behalf of the Rector last Thursday, Dr. Chris Onyemenonu (Deputy Rector, Academic) in a tripartite engagement with the transport union and stakeholders explained that the Polytechnic administration would not condone any form of exploitation warranted by some middle men in the transportation value chain.

He, therefore, announced a downward review of transportation cost for services within and without the school . For instance, a passenger within the Polytechnic would now pay only N50 per drop as against N100. Similarly, a pair of passengers moving into the school premises from outside would N100 as against N200.

The Rector’s prompt intervention brings to an end the price variation introduced by some ambitious motorcyclists. The Rector’s quick response to the transportation impasse has been described as a mark of responsive leadership.

Commenting on the development, the Dean Student Affairs, Dr. Okafo Okeraffia, thanked the Rector for his quick and decisive response in resolving the transportation challenge, describing his leadership style as proactive. Dr. Okeraffia further described the Rector’s intervention as “a welcome development which favours everyone” in the transport value chain, ranging from the motorcyclists to the students.

Speaking to FEDPONEK GAZETTE, the President of the Student Union Government, Valentine Ahaneku, described the Rector as a “trail-blazer and a compassionate leader who has the Nigerian students at heart in all his policies.”

Mr. Ahaneku further expressed joy and excitement at the new transport regime which he described as “very favourable to students in light of the economic situation in the country.” He also added that with the new development, motorcyclists operating in the Polytechnic now drive with care as they no longer run in breakneck speed to meet up some phoney targets given to them by devious middle men.

Meanwhile, the Rector has expressed the readiness of his administration to revamp the transportation system in the Polytechnic which would see the gradual phasing out of motorcycles in the system. In their place, the poly chief plans to introduce buses in the institution which would operate at designated routes at even cheaper rates.

There is also a much bigger plan by the action Rector to flood the institution with electric vehicles manufactured by the institution. These vehicles which are powered by solar panels do not use fossil fuel hence they do not emit carbon into the environment. These environment-friendly vehicles are products of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, which according to the Rector in a recent occasion, would need to be mass-produced with more funding from donor-agencies and corporate bodies.

While speaking to a German Media outfit, Ruptly, last month, the lead engineer of the electric car production, Engr. Pius Nwosu, re-echoed the Rector’s stance in producing more units of the vehicles to solve he transportation needs of the Polytechnic. Engr. Nwosu also enthused that when the plan becomes a reality, other higher institutions in Nigeria would troop to Nekede to borrow a leaf.

There are many decisive steps the Engr. Dr M.C. Arimanwa-led administration has taken in the Polytechnic to shield Nigerian students from exploitations of any guise. Only recently, the Rector rebuffed plans to increase the cover price of textbooks. While stating unequivocally that the purchasing of textbooks remained an optional obligation, the poly boss announced plans to reform the procedure of printing textbooks where the Polytechnic press would shoulder the responsibility of printing books while paying royalties to lecturers who wrote them.

The Rector has also taken proactive steps to digitize learning in such a way that lecture notes can be printed in one composite compact disk plate or produced in a flash drive. This student-centred approach will enable learners to access materials with ease, among other benefits.

*FEDPONEK GAZETTE* JUNE 28, 2022

The award-winning Rector of the foremost Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Engr. Dr. Michael Arimanwa, has bagged a prestigious award as Fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (FNICE). The event which took place last Thursday at the Executive Hall of the International Conference Centre, Abuja, attracted the who-is-who in the engineering profession in Nigeria.

The Rector, who is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, earned the award based on his enviable track record of excellence in the engineering profession, having earned both his M.SC and Ph.D in Structural Engineering. The Polytechnic chief has also contributed immensely to the development of the Engineering profession through varied high-tech services and internationally acclaimed academic articles and conference papers published in high impact factor journals.

A winner of so many Fellowships in the engineering profession, Engr. Dr. Michael Arimanwa only two months ago bagged the Fellowship of the Nigerian Institution of Water Engineers, an award extended to him for his prodigious commitment to the development of Water Engineering in Nigeria. Meanwhile, the cerebral Rector and academic only last month received a remarkable award as best Rector.

While decorating the Rector with the Fellowship Award in Abuja, the National Chairman, Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers, Engr. Dr. Jang C. Tanko, stated that the Fellowship of the Institution is one of the highest ordinances of the organization, charging awardees to take the gesture as a call for higher responsibility in the engineering profession.

Among the tens of institutions under the Nigerian Society of Engineers, the Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers has a remarkable streak of prestige and cachet. Those conferred Fellowship of the Institution are carefully selected with strict regard to their track records of credibility.

This award on the Rector, Engr. Dr. M.C. Arimanwa, is a glowing testimony of his uncommon commitment to his engineering calling, a devotion that has not been vitiated by his phenomenal role as Rector of a prestigious Polytechnic which had been rated best-performing by the National Board for Technical Education.The most favourabe disposition which the Rector has given to Engineering Studies at the Federal Polytechnic Nekede is outstanding. He has ensured that all engineering workshops and laboratories are well-equipped so that the institution would produce experts that can compete favourably with their peers anywhere in the world.

It was the uncommon commitment of the Rector to the engineering profession that gave birth to the electric car recently produced by the institution. The leader of the team that invented the car, Engr. Pius Nwosu, has acknowledged that without the commitment and support of the Rector to the vehicle project, his team would not have succeeded in the venture.

Meanwhile, the Rector had while receiving the Fellowship Award pledged that he would embrace the vision of the Institution of Civil Engineers by making it a world renowned body which will be a pride to all Civil Engineers in Nigeria.

Married to an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, the Rector practically exudes engineering through and through. It did not come as a surprise, therefore, that his beloved wife, Engr. Dr. Joan Arimanwa, was also a noble recipient of the Fellowship Award. Thus, the Rector and his wife broke records at the epochal event by being the only couple invested with the prestigious award.

The occasion was chaired by Engr. T.S.G. Wudil, President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, while Prof Suleyman O. Adeyemi (former V.C., FUT, Minna) was the Guest Speaker in a lecture entitled “Solid Waste Management, An Imperative for an Emerging City Development: Abuja FCT in Focus.” Mr. Uche Orji of the Sovereign Wealth Authority Abuja, served as the Keynote Speaker while the Chief Host was Mal. Muhammad Musa Bello (FCT Minister).

*FEDPONEK GAZETTE* May, 2022

The award-winning Rector of the foremost Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Engr. Dr. Michael Arimanwa, has bagged a prestigious award as Fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (FNICE). The event which took place last Thursday at the Executive Hall of the International Conference Centre, Abuja, attracted the who-is-who in the engineering profession in Nigeria.

The Rector, who is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, earned the award based on his enviable track record of excellence in the engineering profession, having earned both his M.SC and Ph.D in Structural Engineering. The Polytechnic chief has also contributed immensely to the development of the Engineering profession through varied high-tech services and internationally acclaimed academic articles and conference papers published in high impact factor journals.

A winner of so many Fellowships in the engineering profession, Engr. Dr. Michael Arimanwa only two months ago bagged the Fellowship of the Nigerian Institution of Water Engineers, an award extended to him for his prodigious commitment to the development of Water Engineering in Nigeria. Meanwhile, the cerebral Rector and academic only last month received a remarkable award as best Rector.

While decorating the Rector with the Fellowship Award in Abuja, the National Chairman, Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers, Engr. Dr. Jang C. Tanko, stated that the Fellowship of the Institution is one of the highest ordinances of the organization, charging awardees to take the gesture as a call for higher responsibility in the engineering profession.

Among the tens of institutions under the Nigerian Society of Engineers, the Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers has a remarkable streak of prestige and cachet. Those conferred Fellowship of the Institution are carefully selected with strict regard to their track records of credibility.

This award on the Rector, Engr. Dr. M.C. Arimanwa, is a glowing testimony of his uncommon commitment to his engineering calling, a devotion that has not been vitiated by his phenomenal role as Rector of a prestigious Polytechnic which had been rated best-performing by the National Board for Technical Education.The most favourabe disposition which the Rector has given to Engineering Studies at the Federal Polytechnic Nekede is outstanding. He has ensured that all engineering workshops and laboratories are well-equipped so that the institution would produce experts that can compete favourably with their peers anywhere in the world.

It was the uncommon commitment of the Rector to the engineering profession that gave birth to the electric car recently produced by the institution. The leader of the team that invented the car, Engr. Pius Nwosu, has acknowledged that without the commitment and support of the Rector to the vehicle project, his team would not have succeeded in the venture.

Meanwhile, the Rector had while receiving the Fellowship Award pledged that he would embrace the vision of the Institution of Civil Engineers by making it a world renowned body which will be a pride to all Civil Engineers in Nigeria.

Married to an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, the Rector practically exudes engineering through and through. It did not come as a surprise, therefore, that his beloved wife, Engr. Dr. Joan Arimanwa, was also a noble recipient of the Fellowship Award. Thus, the Rector and his wife broke records at the epochal event by being the only couple invested with the prestigious award.

The occasion was chaired by Engr. T.S.G. Wudil, President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, while Prof Suleyman O. Adeyemi (former V.C., FUT, Minna) was the Guest Speaker in a lecture entitled “Solid Waste Management, An Imperative for an Emerging City Development: Abuja FCT in Focus.” Mr. Uche Orji of the Sovereign Wealth Authority Abuja, served as the Keynote Speaker while the Chief Host was Mal. Muhammad Musa Bello (FCT Minister).

*FEDPONEK GAZETTE* May, 2022

The University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Umuagwo, Ohaji, has held its first Anniversary Lecture. The event which took place last Friday at the Entrepreneurship Centre of the University was preceded by a Thanksgiving Church Service at the Catholic Chaplaincy in the University.

According to the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Patrick Ekezie Egbule, the thanksgiving mass preceding the public lecture was a way of putting God first in the affairs of the university, adding that the Anniversary Lecture fundamentally commemorates the founding of the specialized university and the need to sustain the core tradition of the university system. The public lecture has the timely theme: “Many Universities, Few Universities, No Universities: Is Nigeria suffering from the Endangering of the Ideas and Culture f the University?”In an address of welcome at the well-attended event, the Vice Chancellor profusely expressed gratitude to the governor, Sen Hope Uzodinma, for all his support which has made the university a reality.

He recalled that the university was established by an act of parliament and licensed as the 49th State University and 171st in the federation in 2019, with an NUC-approved curriculum of 29 degree programmes run under five faculties of Agriculture, Environmental Sciences, Science and Computing, Engineering, and Arts, Social and Management Sciences.

The university boss also announced that he had a seven-point agenda that has ensured a seamless take-off of the university and its repositioning as a top destination for university education anchored on knowledge, innovation and excellence.

Meanwhile, Prof Egbule has challenged philanthropists and corporate organizations to support the young university by ways of establishing endowments, laboratories, ICT facilities and other relevant infrastructure as no university thrives with only government funding, just as he describes university education as “the jewel in the crown of our state.”The guest lecturer did justice to the topic of the Anniversary Lecture, presenting a 25-page discourse that brilliantly expands the theme of the lecture while answering germane issues raised in it.

Essentially, the guest speaker, Prof Chinedum Nwajiuba, a former Vice Chancellor of Alex Ekwueme University, Ndufu-Alike and currently a visiting scholar at the National Universities Commission spoke on the theme: “Many Universities, Few Universities: Is Nigeria Suffering from the Endangering of the ideas and Culture of the University?”, a topic generally acknowledged as a current and topical conversation whose time was ripe for interrogation.

In the preamble, meanwhile, Prof Nwajiuba articulated the challenges of pioneering a university while commending the Vice Chancellor, Prof Egbule, for the enormous work so far done in the young university. deploying the instrument of parallelism, Prof Nwajiuba stated inter alia: “Pioneering is not an easy responsibility. Pioneering is challenging. Pioneering a university may be even more demanding, compared to other areas of human endeavour considering its uniqueness. I therefore recognize and appreciate the enormity of work you must have put in here in the last year. It certainly would not have been easy.”

The guest speaker went ahead to trace the historiology of the modern university system which he acknowledged was not an African creation. He identified the University of Bologna, Italy, established in 1088 as the first university in the world, just as he acknowledged that the origin of the Nigerian university system is traceable to the practice in the United Kingdom whose oldest university was established in 1096 AD in Oxford, closely followed by the University of Cambridge in 1209 AD.

It was this system according to the guest lecturer that essentially produced the University College Ibadan in 1948 “as an appendage of the University of London, awarding degrees of the University of London, until 1962 when the University of Ibadan emerged as an autonomous degree awarding University.” He however decried the idea of “asoebi” universities in Nigeria which practically embody a uniformed motto, and lacking in innovative ideology. In this regard he singled out the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) as being unique in its motto of “To restore the dignity of man” which is symbolically different from others that basically profess the quartet of “Excellence, Integrity, Knowledge, Service”.

The university don also condemned the wave of ethnic consciousness pervading the Nigerian university system, describing it as injurious to the system, citing the recent case at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, where locals protested that the new Vice Chancellor should have been chosen from the town of Ife, warning that universities must strive to avoid local professors who are essentially non-existent in global visibility and ranking.

Fundamentally, the don condemned what he termed as incest in scholarship, where scholars fail to seek knowledge beyond a particular university. According to him “When you have a university system in which someone born in the university campus, attends primary and secondary schools in the same campus, takes first, second and third degrees from the same campus, commences a career in the same campus, rising from GA to AL, LII, LI, SL, Reader/Associate Professor and full Professor in the same university. That cannot be healthy. It is, simply, incest […]”

Essentially, therefore, Prof Nwajiuba aligns his thoughts of an archetypal university with what is envisioned in the National Policy on Education of 2014 which “requires that the university system engage with producing high quality and high-level manpower to drive national development, with entrepreneurial skills.”

An understanding of this phenomenon according to the don implies that the “idea of the university is principally that of gathering of teachers and learners primarily engaged in the business of seeking and extending knowledge.” In his thinking, this scenario would likely produce “an assemblage of thinkers and philosophers capable of thinking and not imagining that they are thinking, capable of philosophizing, extending the frontiers of knowledge which by implication, means that researches that qualify to be so described as researches, are engaged with the serious matter of the search for knowledge, and the extension of knowledge, and that humanity is served.” In the end the university is able to achieve its tripartite role of teaching, research and community service.

The Anniversary Lecture was chaired by a former Vice Chancellor of Imo State University, Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie, who commended the guest speaker for refocusing the consciousness of staff and students of the University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences on the core tenets of teaching and learning in the university system. He gave kudos to the Vice Chancellor of the university for choosing the topic which besides its timeliness is essentially anchored on interrogating the extent to which the Nigerian universities have upheld the ethics of the university education system and praxis. Many higher institutions within and outside Imo State sent goodwill messages to the epoch-making event.

The University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Umuagwo, Ohaji, has held its first Anniversary Lecture. The event which took place last Friday at the Entrepreneurship Centre of the University was preceded by a Thanksgiving Church Service at the Catholic Chaplaincy in the University. According to the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Patrick Ekezie Egbule, the thanksgiving mass preceding the public lecture was a way of putting God first in the affairs of the university, adding that the Anniversary Lecture fundamentally commemorates the founding of the specialized university and the need to sustain the core tradition of the university system.

The public lecture has the timely theme: “Many Universities, Few Universities, No Universities: Is Nigeria suffering from the Endangering of the Ideas and Culture f the University?”In an address of welcome at the well-attended event, the Vice Chancellor profusely expressed gratitude to the governor, Sen Hope Uzodinma, for all his support which has made the university a reality.

He recalled that the university was established by an act of parliament and licensed as the 9th State University and 171st in the federation in 2019, with an NUC-approved curriculum of 29 degree programmes run under five faculties of Agriculture, Environmental Sciences, Science and Computing, Engineering, and Arts, Social and Management Sciences. The university boss also announced that he had a seven-point agenda that has ensured a seamless take-off of the university and its repositioning as a top destination for university education anchored on knowledge, innovation and excellence.

Meanwhile, Prof Egbule has challenged philanthropists and corporate organizations to support the young university by ways of establishing endowments, laboratories, ICT facilities and other relevant infrastructure as no university thrives with only government funding, just as he describes university education as “the jewel in the crown of our state.”The guest lecturer did justice to the topic of the Anniversary Lecture, presenting a 25-page discourse that brilliantly expands the theme of the lecture while answering germane issues raised in it.

Essentially, the guest speaker, Prof Chinedum Nwajiuba, a former Vice Chancellor of Alex Ekwueme University, Ndufu-Alike and currently a visiting scholar at the National Universities Commission spoke on the theme: “Many Universities, Few Universities: Is Nigeria Suffering from the Endangering of the ideas and Culture of the University?”, a topic generally acknowledged as a current and topical conversation whose time was ripe for interrogation.

In the preamble, meanwhile, Prof Nwajiuba articulated the challenges of pioneering a university while commending the Vice Chancellor, Prof Egbule, for the enormous work so far done in the young university. deploying the instrument of parallelism, Prof Nwajiuba stated inter alia: “Pioneering is not an easy responsibility. Pioneering is challenging. Pioneering a university may be even more demanding, compared to other areas of human endeavour considering its uniqueness. I therefore recognize and appreciate the enormity of work you must have put in here in the last year. It certainly would not have been easy.”

The guest speaker went ahead to trace the historiology of the modern university system which he acknowledged was not an African creation. He identified the University of Bologna, Italy, established in 1088 as the first university in the world, just as he acknowledged that the origin of the Nigerian university system is traceable to the practice in the United Kingdom whose oldest university was established in 1096 AD in Oxford, closely followed by the University of Cambridge in 1209 AD. It was this system according to the guest lecturer that essentially produced the University College Ibadan in 1948 “as an appendage of the University of London, awarding degrees of the University of London, until 1962 when the University of Ibadan emerged as an autonomous degree awarding University.”

He however decried the idea of “asoebi” universities in Nigeria which practically embody a uniformed motto, and lacking in innovative ideology. In this regard he singled out the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) as being unique in its motto of “To restore the dignity of man” which is symbolically different from others that basically profess the quartet of “Excellence, Integrity, Knowledge, Service”.

The university don also condemned the wave of ethnic consciousness in Nigerian university system, describing as injurious to the system citing the recent case at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, where locals protested that the new Vice Chancellor should have been chosen from the town of Ife, warning that universities must strive to avoid local professors who are essentially non-existent in global visibility and ranking. Fundamentally, the don condemned what he termed as incest in scholarship, where scholars fail to seek knowledge beyond a particular university.

According to him “When you have a university system in which someone born in the university campus, attends primary and secondary schools in the same campus, takes first, second and third degrees from the same campus, commences a career in the same campus, rising from GA to AL, LII, LI, SL, Reader/Associate Professor and full Professor in the same university. That cannot be healthy. It is, simply, incest […]”

Essentially, therefore, Prof Nwajiuba aligns his thoughts of an archetypal university with what is envisioned in the National Policy on Education of 2014 which “requires that the university system engage with producing high quality and high-level manpower to drive national development, with entrepreneurial skills.”

An understanding of this phenomenon according to the don implies that the “idea of the university is principally that of gathering of teachers and learners primarily engaged in the business of seeking and extending knowledge.” In his thinking, this scenario would likely produce “an assemblage of thinkers and philosophers capable of thinking and not imagining that they are thinking, capable of philosophizing, extending the frontiers of knowledge which by implication, means that researches that qualify to be so described as researches, are engaged with the serious matter of the search for knowledge, and the extension of knowledge, and that humanity is served.” In the end the university is able to achieve its tripartite role of teaching, research and community service.

The Anniversary Lecture was chaired by a former Vice Chancellor of Imo State University, Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie, who commended the guest speaker for refocusing the consciousness of staff and students of the University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences on the core tenets of teaching and learning in the university system. He gave kudos to the Vice Chancellor of the university for choosing the topic which besides its timeliness is essentially anchored on interrogating the extent to which the Nigerian universities have upheld the ethics of the university education system and praxis. Many higher institutions within and outside Imo State sent goodwill messages to the epoch-making event.

History was today recorded in Federal Polytechnic Nekede amid ovations and fanfare as the CIBN Bankers Hall was commissioned. The exquisite ultramodern edifice is a legacy project bequeathed to the Federal Polytechnic Nekede by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.

The state-of-the-art edifice is one of the six pilot projects across the six geo-political zones undertaken by the Institute. The Federal Polytechnic Nekede was chosen based on its sterling record as the best-performing tertiary institution in the CIBN linkage programme in the Southeast zone.

The smart, ultramodern edifice which serves as a lecture theatre, demonstration class and multipurpose centre was commissioned by the Executive Governor of Imo State, Sen Hope Uzodinma, who was ably represented by the Deputy Governor, Prof Placid Njoku.

While performing the commissioning ceremony, the Deputy Governor expressed joy at the kind and thoughtful gesture of the CIBN leadership to build legacy projects across the nation aimed at boosting educational enterprise. He described the project as a legacy because it would stand the test of time in adding value to education in the polytechnic.

The former university don and administrator further expressed optimism that the legacy project would enable students of Banking and Finance of the Polytechnic become super bankers in future as the they gear up to leverage on the facility provided by the CIBN. Finally, he urged the Management of the Polytechnic to sustain the tempo of entrepreneurial education which would make graduating students enterprising enough to stand on their own after graduation, rather than seeking elusive white collar jobs.

In his speech at the event, the Rector of the Polytechnic, Engr. Dr. Michael C. Arimanwa FNSE, HCIB, lauded the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria for its kind gesture in building a legacy project Polytechnic. While tracing the history of the institution’s Linkage progamme with the CIBN to 2015, the Rector stated that his administration has deliberately sustained the collaboration to give room to the students of Banking and Finance to leverage on the opportunities so provided by the Linkage to become chartered bankers.

Further, the Poly Chief hinted that in 2020 the Federal Polytechnci Nekeke was rated the best Linkage institution in the Southeast. The Rector described the CIBN as an organization that has shown uncommon commitment to the advancement of the Banking and Finance education in Nigeria, adding that the donation of the Bankers Hall is a gesture that is noble because it is goaded towards uplifting educational standards. Remarkably, the Rector pledged the commitment of the Polytechnic towards the maintenance of the edifice for the sake of posterity.

In his remarks, the President/Chairman of the CIBN Council, Dr. Bayo Olugbemi congratulated the Federal Polytechnic Nekede for emerging the best Linkage institution in the Southeast zone, an accomplishment which he said made the institution a beneficiary of the legacy project. He recalled that the Linkage agreement signed with the Polytechnic on September 16, 2015 has today produced a laudable result that would last though ages, describing the legacy project as a dream come true. He further stated that the project is a modest contribution of the Institute to the development of Banking and Finance in Nigeria, while challenging other corporate organizations to synergize with the government in revamping the educational system.

He lauded the Rector, Engr. Dr M.C. Arimanwa on his numerous achievements in scholarship, digital technology and inventions. Further, he praised the Rector for his “impactful local and international collaborations, and many others too numerous to mention.”

Meanwhile, the Registrar/Chief Executive of the Institute Dr Seye Awojobi, in his remarks, described the Linkage with the Federal Polytechnic as “a rewarding and fruitful relationship,” as according to him, “the Polytechnic has consistently driven the Linkage agreement, encouraging students not only in the Banking and Finance Department, but other Social Sciences to register as members of the Institute and ultimately, write the professional banking examinations.” This commitment according to the CIBN scribe earned the Polytechnic the enviable position of best Linkage institution in the Southeast geo-political zone, and ultimately the beneficiary of the legacy project.

Dr Awojobi further poured encomiums on the Rector of the Polytechnic, Engr Dr M.C. Arimanwa for his pragmatic and purposeful leadership in the institution which has earned it the status of a pace-setter among Nigerian Polytechnics, having been rated best-performing Polytechnic in Nigeria by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and the most-sought-after Polytechnic in Nigeria.

Earlier, the acting Chairman of the Governing Council of the Polytechnic, Sqd. Leader Chima Idika Chima (Rtd), applauded the CIBN for bequeathing an exquisite edifice to the institution while thanking the governor for gracing the event through his deputy. He described the Rector as capable and efficient in the management of the Polytechnic which according to him has noble reputation in Nigeria.

In his goodwill message, the Representative of the Ministry of Education, Mr Ayowele Bode, described education as the best legacy, a reason why the ministry had come to identify with the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) in its quest to uplift the quality of education in Nigeria, adding that other corporate organizations should emulate the efforts of CIBN in the education sector.

Meanwhile, encomiums have been poured on the Rector of the Polytechnic, Engr. M.C. Arimanwa FNSE for his uncommon dedication to the Linkage programme with the CIBN which has produced an ultra-modern Bankers Hall that is tastefully furnished and equipped.

According to the immediate past Rector of the institution, Prof C.U. Njoku, who was represented by Dr. Anthonia Nwosu, the Rector deserves commendation for sustaining the Linkage programme which she had signed in 2015. For the Dean, School of Business and Management Technology (SBMT), Dr. Lilian Esiagu, the Rector deserves commendation because he “has engendered monumental and ambitious infrastructural and technological transformations in the Polytechnic” with his “multi-dimensional collaborations” that have “given the Polytechnic a global visibility.”

For the Registrar of the Polytechnic, Mrs E.C. Anuna, who gave the vote of thanks at the epochal event, the Rector is a smart and pragmatic leader whose leadership has attracted great projects and goodwill to the Polytechnic.

Dignitaries at the event cut across all strata of the society just as the Polytechnic community came out en masse to savour the euphoria of the ceremony. There was also the Ohafia War Dance on ground to entertain guests at the occasion.

*FEDPONEK GAZETTE*

History was made recently as the digital Rector of Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri, Engr. Dr Michael Arimanwa FNSE, bagged an award as Best Rector in the history of the institution, having received a similar award in the past from a national body. The Rector was presented with the iconic award by the National Association of Imo State Students (NAISS). The group also formally decorated the Rector as its National Grand Patron.

Speaking at the colourful event which was held at the Council Chambers of the institution, national President of the group, Comr. Mavis Umukoro, described the Rector as a symbolic 21st century leader who has carefully revolutionized the Federal Polytechnic Nekede in all ramification.

He also lauded the Rector for his most inspiring leadership that has seen the Polytechnic emerge as best-performing and most-sought-after Polytechnic in Nigeria. He further poured encomiums on the Rector for the massive technological innovations and advancement he has brought to the Polytechnic.

Markedly, Mr Umukoro praised the Rector for being “humble and purposeful” in spite of his exalted position, commending him for his most friendly disposition towards the aspirations of students.

In his response, the Rector commended the association for considering him worthy of such a great award and for appreciating the milestones his administration has recorded. He recalled how as a lecturer he was given awards as best dean, best lecturer and most distinguished lecturer, among others from student bodies like NAISS.

The Polytechnic boss further remarked that in all the 42 years of the institution’s existence, the occasion marked the first time a Rector of the institution was considered for such twin awards. While pledging his commitment towards realizing his 14-point agenda and 72-point target, the Rector also advised the students to take advantage of his administration’s open-door policy in making their concerns known.

Principal Officers present at the ceremony included the Deputy Rector (Academic), Dr. C.C. Onyemenonu, while the Registrar, Bursar and Librarian were represented by Mr. Nze Matthias, Mrs. Ijeoma Ukwu and Dr. Charles Obichere, respectively.

FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC NEKEDE SET TO RUN FIVE NEW DEPARTMENTS

Smart Rector of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Engr. Dr M.C. Arimanwa, has scored yet another developmental goal as the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has approved the emergence of five new departments from the Department of Mass Communication. The five new departments are: Film and Multimedia, Broadcasting, Public Relations, Advertising and Print/Journalism.

The successful unbundling of the Mass Communication Department aptly reflects the passionate drive of the smart Rector in expanding the curriculum of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede. Importantly, the Poly supremo deserves encomiums for adequately staffing the department in anticipation of the approval which came a few days ago.

The Rector also thoughtfully expanded infrastructure to accommodate the new departments that have eventually become a reality.It is noteworthy that the administration of Engr. Dr M.C. Arimanwa has begun a new epoch in the Polytechnic, where within three years, two new schools have sprung up and tens of new programmes commenced in the foremost institution.

The implication of this development, observers say, is that the Rector, an ‘internally generated administrator’, actually came prepared to add immeasurable value to his almamater.

Some pundits further aver that the Rector is committed to implementing his 14-point goal and 72-point target to the letter hence the significant momentum of development in the institution.

*FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC NEKEDE SIGNS HISTORIC MOU WITH INNOSON MOTORS*


It was a ceremony of innovation and excellence as Rector of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Engr. Dr Michael C. Arimanwa FNSE, last Friday in Owerri, led his Management team to sign a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing. This is in furtherance of his policy thrust of maintaining a robust collaboration and linkage with relevant systems and institutions locally and international. The MOU covers the construction of new engineering workshops, staff acquisition of Innoson vehicles and human capacity development, among others.

While signing the MOU in Owerri on behalf of the Polytechnic last Friday, the Rector, Engr. Dr. M. C. Arimanwa, made it clear that the institution was set to produce engineering students who are highly skilled in their areas of endeavour. He specifically identified students of Mechanical, Electrical and Mechatronics Engineering as direct beneficiaries of the programme with the Innoson Group. Notably, with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, Innoson IVM and the Polytechnic would collaborate to build training workshops in the institution that would enable staff and students master the dynamics of manufacturing vehicle spare parts.

Speaking further, the digital Rector stated inter alia, “We are here to essentially kickstart the industry part of our training at the Polytechnic. That is why we considered it necessary to collaborate with an industry expert like Innoson. We felt it will be important to collaborate with Innoson in the area of building workshops in our school to expose our students to the raw practical knowledge of their discipline. The relationship would be mutually beneficial as we will not only train and certify their staff in the areas relevant areas of need, we shall also promote the Innoson Group using the facilities at our disposal.”

The award-winning Rector also expressed optimism that the MOU would essentially give the relevant engineering students balanced training, where they would not literally be inundated with theoretical knowledge at the expense of technical expertise. According to the Rector, “Our students need to be exposed to industry activities away from the classroom and its theoretical praxis. Moving forward, we hope our students would be thoroughly exposed to the basic practical knowledge of their disciplines, perhaps, beyond the measure acquired already in the Polytechnic workshops.”

In a nifty move to cut a deal for the staff of the Polytechnic in line with his administration’s staff welfare programme, the smart Rector expressed optimism that the MOU would enable interested staff of the Polytechnic acquire Innoson sleek vehicles at subsidized rates, with payments made in installments. Speaking further, the Rector, famed for his humanity towards members of staff irrespective of cadre or level, enthused thus: “We hope also that our staff who want to buy the Innoson vehicles can do so with an agreement of how much they can pay over a period of time. This is a way of promoting your brand because I’m sure that the sheer number of the staff that would purchase the vehicles would be considerable enough to advertise your brand.”

In his response after signing the MOU on behalf of the Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing, Mr. Endi Ezengwa, CEO, Innoson-Kiara Academy, described the Innoson Group as a system that is working, pledging the commitment of the group to fully partner with the Federal Polytechnic Nekede. According to Mr. Ezengwa, he was attracted by the noble ideals which the Polytechnic represents. Furthermore, he identified integrity as a compelling virtue possessed by the institution: “One of the things that made me want to work with you is your integrity.”

Mr. Ezengwa also identified workshops as central to the MOU as according to him, “Workshops are meant to complement the classroom for learning to be complete. They are also important so as to train people who are innovative.” He expressed hope that when fully operational, the workshops would assist the school generate revenue, among other benefits. Finally, the Chief Executive Officer of Innoson-Kiara Academy pledged commitment to the codes of the MOU signed with the Federal Polytechnic Nekede.

Principal Officers of the Polytechnic at the historic event included the Deputy Rector (Academic) of the Polytechnic, Mr. Chris Onyemenonu, who described the Managing Director of Innoson IVM, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, as an entrepreneur of high repute who has made his country proud. Others were the Deputy Rector (Administration), Dr Uzoma Ibeaja, Registrar, Mrs Eucharia Anuna, Bursar, Mr. V.N. Anyanwuocha and the Librarian who was represented by Dr Charles Obichere.

Remarkably, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) would be mutually beneficial to the extent that the Federal Polytechnic would train staff of Innoson Motors on Health and Occupational Safety at considerably subsidized rates. This would give them international certification in Occupational Safety and Health. It would be recalled that sometime in the administration of Engr. Dr M.C. Arimanwa, the Federal Polytechnic Nekede had entered into a strategic partnership with the Occupational Safety and Health Association, United Kingdom. This effectively made the institution a training institute where organizations could send their staff to embark on a short-course programme in Occupational Safety at the end of which they are examined and certificated.

Meanwhile, the Director of the Polytechnic Directorate of Linkages and Interventions, Dr A.C. Madu, who also anchored the event, has expressed delight at the historic MOU with the Innoson Group, describing it as a landmark achievement. He expressed optimism that the proposed workshops to be established in the Polytechnic would make the institution “a centre of excellence where other technological and non-technological institutions would be coming to seek technical assistance.” Dr Madu further remarked that the production of vehicle spare parts would make the Polytechnic a strategic partner to Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing. Besides the MOU with Innoson IVM, the Directorate of Interventions and Linkages of the Polytechnic has also linked the up the Polytechnic to institutions as far as the United Kingdom, Ukraine and Canada, among others.

It will be recalled that upon assumption as Rector of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Engr. Dr. M.C. Arimanwa had identified collaborations and linkages as essential to his 14-goal agenda and 72-target mission. Accordingly, he has not relented in partnering institutions and systems locally and internationally in vital areas of need with a view to achieving standard and professionalism in target areas. Phenomenally, these collaborations have given fillip to strategic interventions in the institutions in the areas of human resources, teaching materials, ICT, library development, agricultural technology and skill acquisition, among others. Thus, the partnership with Innoson IVM is a significant mileage attained in the technological drive and mandate of the institution.

Recently, the world was taken by storm when the Federal Polytechnic announced that it had invented an electric car operated without an engine or fossil fuel. The electric car invention, first of its kind in Nigeria, was a solid testament of the technological drive of the Polytechnic under Engr. Dr M.C. Arimanwa. Unknown to many, the young Rector of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede had been busy building institutional frameworks that would give the institution a strong footing in technology. The sheer volume of investment the Rector made in research development alone won him an excellence award from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund). Today, the Federal Polytechnic Nekede is rated best-performing Polytechnic by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) just as JAMB rates it the most-sought-after Polytechnic in Nigeria.

Only recently, the Rector was appointed by the Federal Government into the membership of the Technical Committee on the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NAADC) Electric Vehicle Development Plan for Nigeria. This strategic appointment underpins the position of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede as a player in electric vehicle development in Nigeria. According to the Bursar of the Polytechnic, Mr V.N. Anyanwuocha, the Rector’s appointment into the technical committee bears eloquent testimony to the “solid progress he is making in the institution, especially in making the school stand first among other Polytechnics in Nigeria.”

FEDPONEK GAZETTE

7 APRIL, 2022

*Federal Polytechnic Nekede considers ICAN a strategic partner – Rector*

The digital Rector of Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Engr. Dr M.C. Arimanwa, has described the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) as a strategic partner.

The Rector made this remark last Tuesday when the organization led by its 56th President, Mrs Comfort Olu Eyitayo, and her team paid him a pre-conference courtesy visit in his office.

While expressing delight at the visit of the group, the Poly Chief categorically maintained that apart from having over seventeen chartered accountants in the polytechnic, the institution is committed to the development of the Accounting profession.

The Rector recalled how two years ago the Polytechnic entered into a strategic partnership with ICAN through the Mutual Cooperation Agreement with Tertiary Institutions (MCATI) which would enable Accounting students in the Polytechnic to integrate approved specialized courses in their curricular; an arrangement that would leave them with only five courses to be full chartered accountants after graduation.

The Poly supremo expressed delight that the MCATI programme would fully resume operation this academic session, while pledging to give it all the institutional support it so deserves.

The smart Rector, however, appealed to the visiting ICAN officials to consider the Federal Polytechnic Nekede as an ICAN examination centre, while urging them to take advantage of the enormous facilities available at the institution.

He further challenged the group embark on a resource visitation to the polytechnic as his administration is ever ready to welcome them, expressing his resolve to make the polytechnic best in Africa and beyond.

Responding, President of ICAN, Mrs Comfort Olu Eyitayo, appreciated the Rector for granting them audience while applauding the enormous achievements he has made in the institution.

She further lauded the Rector for the numerous awards he had garnered since he assumed office, attributing it to his innovative prowess. She specifically applauded the Rector for winning the Award of Excellence in Research Development instituted by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), and the Public Servant of the Year award by the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ).

The ICAN President further stated that she and her team were in the polytechnic to pay a solidarity visit to him as part of the activities scheduled for the Eastern Zonal Conference of the Institution of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria commencing the following day at Imo Concorde Hotel.

She commended the Rector for his exceptional interest in the development for the Accounting profession in Nigeria through the enrollment of polytechnic into the MCATI scheme, a programme which offers Accounting graduates generous exemptions from the ICAN programme. She expressed delight that the polytechnic under Engr. Dr. M.C. Arimanwa “was able to scale through all the rigorous processes of signing in on the scheme.” The ICAN boss further expressed delight that the Rector was physically present at the signing-in ceremony.

It will be recalled that the Rector has through his pragmatic and commanding approach to issues, brought a lot of goodwill to the Polytechnic since he assumed office as 8th substantive Rector, Federal Polytechnic Nekede.

Accordingly, there is virtually no organization that deals with the polytechnic without experiencing the powerful personality exuded by the Rector, which often makes them return with kind words for the Rector and the institution.

Only recently, the Nigerian Institution of Water Engineers also paid a courtesy visit to the Rector, a solidarity call where the group commended the Rector for introducing courses in water engineering and management, and for accepting to be awarded a Fellowship in Water Engineering in a biennial event scheduled for the following day in Owerri.

In an epic collaboration of international dimension, the Federal Polytechnic Nekede has established partnership with some Ukrainian universities to build an international entrepreneurship centre and run exchange programmes, among others. This partnership was validated in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the Rector of the institution, Engr Dr Michael Arimanwa and the experts from Ukraine, led by Prof Valaly Raznikov of the Lviv University of Business and Law, Ukariane.

In a ceremony preceding the signing of the MOU held at the council chambers of the Polytechnic, the Rector welcomed the delegates from the Ukrainian universities for the sustainable partnership they have committed to enter with his institution. He lauded them for coming all the way to the Polytechnic to sign an MOU that would signal the beginning of a mutually beneficial intervention programmes. In his words, the Rector declared thus: “This partnership is aimed at building a strong synergy and partnership with the universities in Ukraine which would enable our students to acquire skills that would make them employable anywhere in the world.”

In his remarks, Prof Valaly Raznikov of the Lviv University of Business and Law, stated that his university was one of the oldest and largest in Europe, having been established in 1804, adding that he had come with other academics and experts from Ukraine to explore ways they could build educational and economic relationship with Nigeria, through the Federal Polytechnic Nekede. He also revealed that while students from the Polytechnic would be allowed to run programmes in Ukrainian universities, their counterparts from selected Ukrainian institutions would come to the Federal Polytechnic Nekede to learn. Areas of partnership with the Polytechnic, according to the Professor, cut across medical science, music, entertainment, business and culture, among others.

One of the delegates, Mrs Inna Kolomyichuk of the V.N. Karazin Kharkic National University, expressed the readiness of her university to enter into mutually beneficial partnership the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, in the area of printing, skill acquisition and postgraduate education, among others. She also invited the management of the Polytechnic to visit her university in Ukraine to further cement ties with the Ukraine government.

Meanwhile, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, Dr Cliff Ogbede, who is the Ukrainian Representative for Foreign Trade and Investment Services in Africa, pointed out that the partnership with the Ukrainian universities would be geared towards uplifting the standard of education in the institution, since the experts from Ukraine sit on a consortium of famous academic institutions in their homeland. He also stated unequivocally that the cooperation would enable the partnering institutions from Ukraine to build facilities and infrastructure in the polytechnic for the smooth take-off of a unique entrepreneurship programme. Dr Ogbede equally disclosed that the partnering institutions would run what he termed a “2 plus 2” educational exchange programme, where selected students from the Federal Polytechnic Nekede would spend two years in Nigeria and then travel to Ukraine to spend another two years in order to earn a degree certificate in Ukraine. The curriculum of the said degree would be administered in part by the Polytechnic staff while Ukrainian lecturers would complete the curriculum schedule.

Similarly, Dr Ogbede revealed that the Ukrainian Universities would support the Federal Polytechnic Nekede in research, seminar and international workshop, in addition to assisting her lecturers publish in high impact Western journals. And in view of the global security challenges that have affected the country of Nigeria, Dr Ogbede posited that the partnering Ukrainian universities would build a Centre for Security Studies in Federal Polytechnic |Nekede, which would assist government in the area of research and documentation.
In a vote of thanks, Dr Austine Madu, who is the Director of Interventions and Linkages of the Polytechnic, commended the Rector of the institution, Engr Dr Michael Arimanwa, for his innovative leadership and tenacity of purpose which has given the Polytechnic global visibility. He further extolled the Rector for his passion in linking up the Polytechnic to institutions and organizations for targeted and productive synergy. Earlier, the Polytechnic dance troupe had entertained the august visitors with scintillating dance steps amid pomp and funfare.

Dr Ugochukwu Iwuji,
SA (Media) to the Rector

*SUBJECT: FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC NEKEDE INVENTS ELECTRIC CAR*

The Federal Polytechnic Nekede under the inspirational headship of Engr Dr Michael Arimanwa FNSE, has proven to be the new technological hub of Nigeria, as it invents the first electric car in Nigeria with over 90% local content.

The vehicle is essentially powered by a solar panel, making it fossil-fuel free. The car which is a product of a tedious research runs without an engine but embodies other features of a car. Leading a team of engineers who invented the car is Engr Pius Nwosu of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Polytechnic, who also happens to be an alumnus of the institution.

Unveiling the electric car at the Engineering workshop of the Polytechnic, the Rector, Engr Dr Michael Arimanwa, congratulated Engr Nwosu and his team for making the Polytechnic proud. He also commended the team for their unwavering commitment in executing the prodigious project, promising to give them all necessary support in giving the invention the needed visibility.

The Rector further stated among others that “The polytechnic will take this project to Inov-8 hub which is connected to Skill G Innovation Centre Abuja, where potential investors from all over the world could see it and invest heavily on it. From there, the Federal Government through the Ministry of Science and Technology can take it over and enlist it in the budget.”

To further encourage the lead engineer of the project, the Rector announced that the Polytechnic would issue him a commendation letter subject to his formal submission of the details of the vehicle, from time of conception, research to invention.

Speaking on his motivation for the project, Engr Pius Nwosu pointed out that the Nigerian environment needed vehicles that would be eco-friendly as a result of the ubiquitous pollution in the ecosystem, adding that the electric car was a solution in circumventing dangerous emissions emanating from the engines of fuel-powered vehicles.

Regarding the materials used in manufacturing the car, the young engineer hinted that over 90% of them were locally sourced, stressing that the product was a clear testimony that Nigeria had capacity to locally produce cars in order to end the wave of importation of automobiles into the country. On the duration of the invention, Engr Nwosu posited that it took him and his team about six months to produce the vehicle, adding that with the initial production done, he would require less than one month to produce subsequent ones.

Engr Pius Nwosu poured encomiums on the Rector and Chief Executive of the Polytechnic, Engr M.C. Arimanwa, for the enormous support he received from him which led to the successful invention of the vehicle. He cited the TETfund facility which the Rector facilitated as a testimony of his passion for research and development. In his words, “The Rector used his influence as Chief Executive of the Polytechnic to play a key role towards attracting the attention and support of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund) which moved the project from the realm of a dream to that of a reality.”

Major highlight of the unveiling ceremony was the test-running of the electric car by the Rector and his management team.
Meanwhile, there are indications that when produced en masse, the electric cars would effectively replace the motorcycles plying on the campus, thereby improving the ecosystem, ensuring safety and ultimately improving local content. From all empirical pointers, the Polytechnic is ready to enter into productive partnerships to ensure the mass-production of the electric car and assert its role as an epicenter of technological invention and breakthrough in Nigeria.

It will be recalled that the polytechnic under its current Rector had during the heat of COVID-19 last year invented essential non-pharmaceutical devices with which to fight the dreaded scourge. These devices included semi-automated and fully automated hand-washing machines, among others. There is indeed no end in sight to further technological breakthroughs which the Federal Polytechnic Nekede under Engr Dr M.C. Arimanwa would offer the country and the world at large.