No fewer than five notable Nigerians who have excelled in their chosen fields will be honoured during the five-day combined convocation ceremony and the 60th anniversary of Auchi Polytechnic, which will take place between November 12 and 16.
The rector of the polytechnic, Dr Salisu Umar, who made the disclosure noted that the recipients’ contributions needed to be appreciated to encourage others.
The rector listed the awardees, including Prof. Samson Duna, director general/chief executive officer of Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI), and Apostle Johnson Suleman, president of Omega Fire Ministries International.
He further named Chief Dan Orbih, a politician and businessman, Abu Inu-Omoru, chairman of Setraco, and Dr Olusegun Olugboyegun, chairman of Jof, as others who will be conferred with honourary awards during the convocation.
He said that the 60th anniversary of the institution and convocation ceremony will have graduands from 26 to 30 sets convoke.
Umar reiterated his commitment to giving the polytechnic the best.
While commending the staff and students of the institution for their dedication, the rector said since coming on board as the rector, he has embarked on projects aimed at improving the learning and teaching environment in the polytechnic.
“I am inspired by the passion and dedication of our staff and students who work tirelessly to achieve excellence in education and research.
“Your hard work and commitment do not go unnoticed, and I am grateful for the privilege to serve alongside such talented individuals.
“I remain devoted to enhancing excellence in teaching, learning, research, and developing leaders in many disciplines that makes a difference globally,” he stated.
Umar said that a total of 60,549 graduates will be conferred with Professional Diploma (PD), National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) for the combined 26th to 30th convocation ceremony.
He concluded by giving a breakdown of the graduands to include 37,058 ND, 23,470 HND and 21 Professional Diploma (PD).
According to the schedule of activities for the convocation and anniversary, the event will kick off on November 12 with the convocation of the 23,470 Diploma graduands, while the inter-religious service, exhibitions, and talk show will take place on November 13.
Similarly, November 14 and 15 will see the celebration of the Polytechnic 60th anniversary and convocation lecture respectively while the main convocation ceremony and project inauguration takes place on Friday November 16.
According to the rector, the main convocation will be followed by a lecture delivered by the executive secretary of the NBTE, Prof. Idris Bugaje. The lecture will be titled “Re-Engineering In Nigeria With The Skills Mantra: The Role of Polytechnics.”
