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Tag: Edo State Polytechnic

  • Edo Poly holds maiden inaugural lecture after 17 years

    In line with Governor Godwin Obaseki’s charge to state’s tertiary institutions to take the lead in proffering solutions to societal challenges, the Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, is set to hold its maiden inaugural lecture, to unveil attainments in research at the institution.

    The lecture is to be delivered by Engr. Dr. Obokhai Kess Asikhia at the school’s complex in Usen near Benin City, on May 30 and is titled ‘Users’ Experience: Designing for the Extremes to Accommodate the Mainstream.’

    Rector, Edo State Polytechnic, Professor Abiodun Falodun, in a chat with journalists, said the maiden lecture is being organised as part of efforts to reposition the institution as a world-class solution centre, noting that this would be the first of such lectures in the institution 17 years after it was established.

    He said, “Engr. Dr. Asikhia will use the occasion of the inaugural lecture to engage the society on his research work in the field of manufacturing engineering, where he is pioneering work on user experience and applying them in real life situations. He has worked with a number of equipment fabricators and other partners, including the Market Development in the Niger Delta (MADE) II programme funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID). He is working with fabricators on perfecting designs of user-friendly fish kiln for industrial use.”

    According to the Professor, “We are excited to be hosting this lecture. So much has gone into planning the inaugural lecture and we want to showcase some of the ongoing research at the Polytechnic to the world. The lecture will among other things, proffer solutions to the problems of design and use of machines in the industrial sector.”

    On the theme of the lecture, he said, “Engr. Dr. Asikhia will use the opportunity to showcase his research on how to improve users’ experience in handling industrial machines. The scope of the lecture will cut across engineering, psychology, communication and optometry.

    “We expect industrialists to benefit from the lecture, which adds to the existing body of knowledge in these disciplines. It also makes recommendations on how to strengthen partnerships between Polytechnics and industries.”

    Dr. Engr. Asikhia is a graduate of Mechanical Engineering from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma. He holds a Masters in Industrial Engineering from the University of Benin and a PhD in Mechanics and Advanced Manufacturing from Cardiff University, United Kingdom.

  • Edo Poly Usen launches App, charges students on innovation

    In pursuit of the state government’s charge for tertiary institutions to lead the way for innovation in the state, three students of the Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, have developed a mobile software to fast track deployment of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the school’s processes.

    Rector of the Polytechnic, Prof. Abiodun Falodun, who disclosed this in a chat with journalists, said that the feat was achieved by a team of students led by Ekhosuehi Kelvin, an ICT technologist. Other students involved in the project are Olufunmilayo Emmanuel Tope and Ola Philip Oluwaseun.

    He said the students were tasked with the development of the application by the school to showcase their abilities and contribute to solving societal problems with the use of technology.

    According to him, “The students are a good example of the spirit of enterprise and solution-driven approach to education that we have come to institute at the Polytechnic. The application developed by the students is already available on Google Playstore.

    Read Also: Edo 2020: Home front spoils for showdown with Abuja front

    “It provides an interface for students to pay their fees, check their profile and also learn about latest developments in the school. There is a very impressive User Interface (UI) that makes it easy to navigate as well. So, essentially, we are proud of the students that have developed this application.”

    He added that the school management is putting structures in place to engage the students in worthwhile endeavours and provide platforms for them to contribute to solving societal problems using technology.

    He added, “We have ensured that a number of our programmes are geared towards ensuring that students are prepared to face the world and prove themselves to have acquired top-rate education at this polytechnic.

    “We are very delighted that the first set of people we have given this task have proven to us that we are indeed a leading hub for ICT training. This must be commended.”

  • UK-based medical expert institutes lecture series at Edo Poly

    Impressed with the dedication and focused leadership at the Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, a United Kingdom (UK)-based medical practitioner, Dr. Yusuf Amuda Garuba, has instituted a lecture series and scholarship package at the Department of Food Technology at the institution.

    The first edition of the lecture series holds on March 5, with the topic: the burden of food borne related toxicity and liver disease in Nigeria, and is to be delivered by Senior Lecturer and Researcher at Department of Medical Laboratory Science, University of Benin, Dr. Igharo O. G., at the polytechnic’s complex in Usen, near Benin City.

    The Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, has recorded improved performance in the last one year since the state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, commenced revamp of the institution. The new direction of the institution steered by Prof. Abiodun Falodun, has seen the institution record increased academic and research activities as well as infrastructural development.

    Speaking with journalists, Rector of the institution, Prof. Falodun, said that the school community is pleased with the growing list of Nigerians in the Diaspora, who are looking homeward and contributing to the institution’s growth.

    Read Also: Expert trains Edo Poly students, staff

    According to him, “Aside the lecture series and the scholarship for the best graduating student in the Department of Food Technology, Dr. Garuba has a standing relationship with the department and would contribute to its growth. He has also donated some equipment to the school’s health center. As a medical practitioner, he is willing to contribute his expertise and other forms of support to the polytechnic.”

    Noting that the institution is poised to contribute meaningful to societal growth through research and development, he said, “As a polytechnic, we have a mandate to provide practical solutions to problems in society. So, aside the lecture series, we are also engaging in in-depth applied research across different disciplines.”

  • Edo Poly Usen to unveil Centre for Geospatial Information Science

    As another testament to reforms in higher education driven by Governor Godwin Obaseki in the state, the Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, has concluded plans to unveil the Centre for Geospatial Information Science (CGIS) a research and teaching unit that will utilise computer software and tools such as geographic information systems among others, to gather information for use in mining, agriculture, urban planning and health care.

    The centre will be unveiled on Thursday, February 7, alongside the institution’s third public lecture titled: Geospatial Technology as a Tool for National Planning and Development, to be delivered at the school complex by 11am, by Director, National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Dr. Halilu Ahmad Shaba.

    Read Also:Edo set to bridge electricity gap

    Rector of the institution, Prof. Abiodun Falodun, in a chat with journalists, said that the centre is one of its kind in Nigeria and will provide training and consulting services in the area of geographic information system (GIS) and other remote aerial technology sensors to gather geographic information.

    According to him, the centre is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities which include eBee RTK Survey-Grade Mapping Drone; STONEX S7 Handheld GPS; Electronic theodolites; GNSS receiver; AO plotter; LEICA DNA 10 Digital level; STONEX S10 DGPS, among others.

    He said the CGIS will train specialists to produce maps, tables, reports and other such materials using GIS technology and will offer short and extended courses on deployment of advanced technology in mapping and managing geographic information.

    According to him, “this is the second centre we will be opening at this institution in a space of three months. These are all testaments to the support of the state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, who has ensured that we truly push the frontiers of knowledge and capacity building.

    “We are repositioning this institution to be a centre of excellence in a number of areas and geospatial information science is one of the. The required equipment is already in place and we have a well-equipped laboratory also. So, it is not a matter of just opening a centre.”

    He added that the centre will help in providing solutions to immediate and remote challenges in geospatial information science in the Niger Delta and beyond, as well as provide first-grade learning experience to students in the School of Environmental Science in the polytechnic.

  • Edo Poly trains staff on Open Distance Flexible Learning programme

    Efforts by the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration to improve access to Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) in the state has gained additional boost as the Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, (formerly Edo State Institute of Technology and Management) has concluded training of its staff in preparation for the commencement of Nigeria’s first Open Distance Flexible Learning (ODFL) Programme.

    In a welcome address during the opening of the mandatory 3-day workshop for all academic and selected non-academic staff of the institution, Rector, Edo State Polytechnic, Prof. Abiodun Falodun, noted that the objective of the programme is to increase access to Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) to indigenes and residents in the state and environs.

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    The 3-day mandatory workshop was organised by management of the polytechnic in partnership with a Tertiary Education Information Technology (IT) consultant, Concept De La Paix, to facilitate the commencement of the ODFL programme.

    Prof. Falodun said that the programme will improve the visibility of the polytechnic globally, allow for the internationalisation of learning opportunities and improve access to global resources and experts through Information Communication Technology (ICT).

    He noted, “Edo State Polytechnic will be the first to float the programme. At the conclusion of the workshop, Edo Polytechnic intends to mount its Online Distance Flexible Learning Programme within the next six months.”

    Prof.  Falodun noted that the institution will commence the first phase of the programme with Public Administration while other courses to be added will include: Accountancy, Business Administration and Computer Science.

    In a lecture entitled: “Understanding Open Distance Learning (ODL) Mode,” Prof.  Bayo Okunade of the University of Ibadan, noted that ODL is a system that allows students’ access to ICT, providing a platform where learners and facilitators are separated by physical distance and technology with face-to-face communication deployed to bridge the gap.

    He urged the management of the institution to ensure that staff members, who are engaged in the programme, are well motivated to encourage them deliver effective service and improve their output.

    In his lecture entitled, “Categorical Imperative for ODL Policy for Learners,” Dr. Steve Lafenwa, of the University of Ibadan, said that for ODL to be successful there must be a flexible policy for learners, noting “flexibility in ODL learning programme does not restrict learners on the number of courses to be taken in a semester because it allows them to learn at their pace.”

    Lafenwa said for effective delivery of ODL, three key ingredients must be present which includes passion, technology and support services, adding, “Support services make the passion and technology relevant in ODL effective.”

    Head, Pharmaceutical Technology Department of the institution, Mr.  Edobor Ekugum, a participant at the workshop, commended the visionary leadership of Governor Obaseki to turn around the narrative of the educational sector in the state.

    Another participant at the workshop, Head, Marketing Department, Mrs. Omo-Amen Lydia, expressed appreciation to Prof.  Falodun for his effort to place the institution on the global map with the ODFL programme, noting that the effort will assist in broadening the scope of the institution towards development.

  • Education Reform: Edo Poly Usen, BEDC hold career fair

    The management of Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, and the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) Plc have entered into a partnership to deepen the input of the polytechnic’s Electrical/Electronics and Mechanical Engineering programmes, in the operations of the electricity company, starting with the hosting of a career talk and fair.

    The event, which holds on July 20 at the polytechnic premises, for the students, especially those in the departments of Electrical/Electronics and Mechanical Engineering of the institution, will host top executives of BEDC, who will be on the lookout for new recruits for the company.

    Read Also:Obaseki condemns killings of policemen in Edo

    Rector of the Edo State Polytechnic, Prof. Biodun Falodun, who disclosed this in a chat with journalists, said that the institution is expanding its frontiers to explore sustainable partnerships with national and multinational companies and training students to not only be employable after graduation but also self-sustaining.

    He said the partnership with BEDC is a first in the institution’s drive to court and deepen town-gown collaborations which are expected to boost the school’s capacity to better respond to the needs of the society.

    Noting that the partnership will see BEDC train and recruit graduates from the school into its workforce, he said, “Edo State Polytechnic, Usen has concluded plans to partner and collaborate with national and multinational corporations beginning with the Benin Electricity Distribution Company PLC (BEDC). This new synergy would afford BEDC the ample opportunity to recruit, train and employ graduates of the school into their workforce.”

    He said the fair is one of the strategies to actualise the dreams of Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, for the school, adding, “We train and produce graduates who do not only fit into the various industries all over the world, but also create jobs for other Nigerians. I call on all well-meaning individuals and corporate entities to avail themselves of the ultra-modern equipment and competent and dedicated manpower that abound in the polytechnic.”

    Chief Corporate Service Officer, BEDC Plc, Mr. Kunbi Labiyi, said that the company was pleased to work in conjunction with the polytechnic, and is committed to organising the fair. He said the company will be on the look-out for new recruits.

  • World Environment Day: Scholars proffer plastic recycling option

    …laud Obaseki’s urban regeneration drive

     

    Environmentalists have called for polices at federal and state government levels that allow for innovative and participatory approaches to managing plastic pollution, urging for increased use of digital solutions to drive recycling.

    They also hailed Governor Godwin Obaseki’s efforts at urban regeneration, noting that the state government’s recent recalibration of state actors in the environment sector as well as the building of new towns will impact positively on the state.

    This was the resolution at a public lecture to mark the 2018 World Environment Day organised by the Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, also known as the Edo State Institute of Management and Technology, in Edo State.

    The Rector of the Polytechnic, Prof. Abiodun Falodun, said that the public lecture was organised to raise awareness and join the rest of the world in marking the day, noting that the school intends to engage the key issues in environment management as they relate to plastic pollution and help educate the people.

    Prof. Falodun, who was recently appointed by Governor Obaseki to reposition the school as a center of excellence in technology and innovation, said there is a plethora of gains in the effective plastic waste management as well as tree planting in our environment.

    According to him, “the Edo State Government led by Mr. Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki wants this school to serve as a viable centre to drive his urban/regional development agenda. Hence, we want to set the pace by beautifying and preserving the environment.”

    He called on state’s indigenes and residents to strive to keep the state clean and adhere to regulations on plastic disposal.

    In a keynote lecture titled Fostering Participatory Model for Sustainable Management and Conservation of Plastic Wastes in Edo State, Nigeria, delivered by an environmentalist, Dr. Ekeoba Matthew Isikhuemen, he noted that there was need for a participatory approach to solving the menace of plastic pollution.

    The keynote lecturer, who is a lecturer in the Department of Forest Resources and Wildlife Management at the University of Benin, said state and federal governments must work together to ensure that policies are synergised.

    The event culminated in the planting of over 700 different economic trees in the school premises.