This is an uncommon visit of an uncommon governor and it is my second to this polytechnic. But this time, I have come with your in-coming governor.” This uncommon visitor needs no further introduction in Nigeria. He is Godswill Akpabio, the governor of Akwa Ibom State, who prefaces every statement about activities in his state in the last 8 years with the word “uncommon transformation”.
The governor was the special guest at the 5th convocation and the award of fellowships to three distinguished personalities of the state by the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot-Osurua, on May 9. It was an occasion for the award of different grades of diplomas to 9,961 graduates of the institution as well as the award of fellowships to Sir Bassey Dan-Abia, the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC; Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (Rtr), a one time military governor of Akwa Ibom State and Mrs. Ekaette Akpabio, the first lady of Akwa Ibom State.
The convocation ground of the polytechnic was bubbling with life as students and the guests savoured the serene ambience of a particularly clement weather. The arrival of the NDDC boss with his entourage stirred the crowd shouts of joy. But the entry of Governor Akpabio and Udom Emmanuel, the governor in waiting, fired the audience into frenzy.
The governor and his political acolytes went round the arena acknowledging cheers and literally charging the atmosphere into hysteria.
The same up-beat tempo ushered Governor Akpabio to the podium to address the audience. In his usual style, Akpabio could not start his speech without singing his uncommon transformation mantra. On this platform he has a receptive audience on the same page with him because the polytechnic community agrees that he has really transformed their institution.
The governor charged the new graduates to take advantage of the positive changes that had taken place in the state, noting that they were lucky to be joining the labour market that had been watered by the uncommon transformation of his administration. He urged them to join the emerging industrial revolution in the state, adding that they must avoid the danger of seeking riches by all means as well as being involved in cultism and drug peddling.
According to him, ‘’we have accorded utmost priority to this institution as the training ground for middle-level technical and vocational manpower in our State. We have so far left no stone unturned in our commitment of ensuring that the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic maintains and sustains the needed standard to serve the purpose of producing seasoned, refined manpower to power our emerging economy’’.
The governor maintained that “the role of polytechnic education in the technological advancement of developing countries cannot be overstressed. The demand of history is that he who starts a race late will always remain behind except he runs faster than those who started earlier. We, Nigerians, who started the technological race later, need to run faster, plan better and make better use of our resources and time in order to bridge the widening technological gap between our nation and the developed world. One way to do this is to invest in technological education and innovation. My administration has not failed in this respect.’’
Dr. Akpabio , who is also the visitor to the institution, described his wife as a reliable partner whose work through her pet project, the Family Life Enhancement Initiative (FLEI), has helped to uplift disadvantaged persons in the state and contributed immensely to the success of his administration. The governor congratulated the awardees and the graduating students and charged them to be good ambassadors of their alma mater and the state.
Responding on behalf of the newly-invested fellows of the institution, Sir Dan-Abia expressed their appreciation to the institution for finding them worthy of the fellowship award. He said the award would spur them to do more for the good of the society. He thanked the institution for recognizing those who had contributed in one way or the other to the growth and development of technological education in the Niger Delta, noting that technological education was the bedrock of industrial development and should therefore be promoted by both the government and the private sector.
The NDDC boss assured the polytechnic authorities that the commission would intervene in addressing some of the challenges facing the institution. “We will send our team to come and assess the needs and determine how best we can be of assistance. However, be rest assured that the NDDC will provide a brand new electricity generating set for the polytechnic,” Dan-Abia said.
The Rector of the polytechnic, Dr. Israel Affia, said that the institution had witnessed a steady growth in recent years, leading to the accreditation of most of its programmes by the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE. He gave credit to Governor Akpabio for the transformation that had taken place in the polytechnic.
He said that Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic had been ranked among the ten best polytechnics in Nigeria, largely because of the improved facilities provided for the various academic programmes. He stressed the need for the polytechnic to remain committed to excellence and urged graduates of the institution to form an alumni group that would support the governing board of the polytechnic.
He stated that one of the many legacies for which Governor Godswill Akpabio will forever be remembered long after his administration has ended is in Education. The administration has invested heavily in the sector from its inception. Akpabio initiated a complete turnaround of the state-owned polytechnic
Dr. Affia said that Governor Akpabio embarked on a holistic rehabilitation of the institution, starting with establishment of the e-library there, a digitally mastered learning centre that engenders learning and other research activities. The rehabilitation is total. All the structures have been rehabilitated. The roofs now wear new looks. The hostels have been given a refreshing touch. More water reservoirs have been erected and commercial banks have started establishing branches in the institution to take their services nearer the students.
“But beyond all these is the serenity that has been brought into the campus courtesy of the massive construction of the roads network within the school by the Akpabio administration. From the main entrance, the institution has witnessed total transformation. The roads, which are mostly dualised, are well paved, complete with street lighting facilities. The ambience and well-marked out lawns bring nature closer to everyone on campus and even the visitors alike. Everyone on campus is happy at the uncommon transformation which governor Akpabio has bequeathed to their school. From the rector to the staff and the students, it’s all rejoicing and celebration galore. In all these they can only say a big thank you to the man who has made all these possible.”
The Rector also acknowledged the contributions of the NDDC to the development of the polytechnic. “I know that NDDC has done a lot. I remember that the 500KVA generator that we are enjoying was donated by NDDC. I believe that NDDC will always come to our aid in our times of need”. He said that the polytechnic had in the past benefitted from the 880 computers distributed by the commission to four tertiary institutions in the Niger Delta.
Akwa Ibom State governor-elect Udom Gabriel Emmanuel said the incoming administration would continue to train more lecturers in and outside the country as well as invest in the engineering sector in a bid to produce more qualified engineers for the society. He urged lecturers in the institution to pride themselves in the training of students who would compete favourably with their contemporaries and announced an automatic overseas scholarship award for the best graduating student in the polytechnic.
The Chairman of the Governing Council, Joseph Effiong commended the state government for contributing to the development of the polytechnic and appealed to the school authorities and the students to cooperate in an effort to make the school great. He appealed to the NDDC to assist the institution in providing structures for the training of Mass Communication students. To drive home the urgency in the request, Effiong said that the architectural drawing for the faculty building would be handed over to the NDDC Managing Director.
