By Our Correspondent
The alumni association of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State, is to construct a museum estimated to cost N100 million in honour of the former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida.
National President of the association, Nze Henry Nnebe said during its national delegates election in Awka, that the museum and a magnificent gate at the Ufuma campus of the Polytechnic are two projects they hope to complete and commission this year.
He recalled that it was IBB that announced the takeover of the Polytechnic and made it a federal institution in 1993 and injected funds into it for infrastructural development.
“Before then, funding was a big problem at Oko Polytechnic and he brought N36 million to enable the institution to stabilize.
“That money was the boost that brought the Polytechnic to limelight, which is why we initiated the project and named it after him.
” The administration block the school was using before then was a rented apartment and it was after he allocated the money that a permanent administration block was built for the polytechnic.
” So, if anyone does something good, he has to be remembered. That is why we also started the IBB annual lecture which has been very successful”, he said.
According to Nnebe, there is need to document all those who made Oko Polytechnic what it has become.
“Management comes and goes and proper records are often not kept, which is why the alumni association is building the museum to keep all the records for posterity”, he added.
He stated that a situation where Rectors name buildings after themselves is not acceptable, when there were people who really made sacrifices for the polytechnic to grow.
Nnebe, who was reelected to run the association for a second tenure, expressed delight at the rate of development of the polytechnic, attributing it to consistent placing of the right people at the helm of affairs.
He said further: “If you allow people to follow due process, the institution will continue to grow in leaps and bounds. We have been able to remove the chaff from the seed and what we expect is that people should make their contributions and bow out when their tenure is over. This is the first time we are having a smooth transition and the excitement among the alumni members is wonderful.”
He explained that the international forum of the association will soon be inaugurated, noting that Oko Polytechnic has groomed people who are doing well across the globe and if one percent of the over 500,000 people who graduated from the polytechnic are brought in, more projects will be executed in the school.
The newly elected national officers of the alumni association are: National President, Nze Henry Chukwuka Nnebe, Vice President, Chief Henry Belonwu Onyekwelu, National Secretary, Dr. Nwazue Chimemela, Assistant National Secretary, Dr. Magnus Ugwa, Treasurer, Hon. Gabriel Nwafor, National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Chidi Jean Ikechukwu, Director of Protocol, Stephen Goodluck Omamuzo, Director of Welfare, Dr. Beatrice Ezechukwu and Director of Finance, Peter Odera Muonwe.
