Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri has installed the 9th substantive rector, in the person of Dr Basillia Igbokwe, who has been successfully inaugurated as the 9th rector of the institution.
In her inaugural speech, Igbokwe expressed deep appreciation for the overwhelming support she received from the staff, students, the entire polytechnic community, the leadership of the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, and the Federal Ministry of Education.
The new rector assured preparedness to reach out to her colleagues who contested for the office of the rector of the institution.
She expressed commitment to striving for a harmonious working relationship with the academic and non-academic staff, labour leaders, student union government, and the entire polytechnic community.
Dr Igbokwe reiterated her resolve to vigorously pursue the vision of the founding fathers of the institution and added that such would only be possible with unity of purpose and the support of all stakeholders.
She listed some of the agenda for transforming the institution, including prioritisation of staff welfare, commitment to fighting malpractices, extortion, lateness to duty, absenteeism, cultism, indecent dressing, and other vices on campus.
Igbokwe vowed to restore environmental cleanliness in the institution, run an open-door policy, promote ICT, and consolidate the Smart Campus Initiative.
Other issues on the agenda of the new rector include improving the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and funding of the institution, reviving the institution’s tissue and table water production factories, and reviving the polytechnic’s fishery and poultry.
She promised to link the institution to the national grid for improved power supply, to do more in corporate social responsibilities, and to ensure linkages or exchange programmes, among others.
Speaking, the chairman of the 15th Governing Council of Federal Polytechnic Nekede,
Henry Ikoro expressed delight at the huge success recorded by the event, noting that it is God’s divine making.
Ikoro also expressed optimism that their team would move the polytechnic to new heights. He congratulated all those who ran elections, with the new rector describing them as eminently qualified but reminded them that only one person would lead at any time.
In her speech, Imo deputy governor Chinyere Ekomaru, who represented Governor Hope Uzodinma, urged the new rector to be firm and pursue only those programmes that would reposition and transform the institution as a premier polytechnic in Nigeria.
