From Princely Onyenwe, Abuja
Thursday the 14th day of July, 2022 was another milestone recorded in the Matriculation calendar of the prestigious Federal Polytechnic Nekede in Owerri Imo State Nigeria where creme of dignitaries too numerous to mention featured at the occassion.
It was the 44th Matriculation ceremony with pomp and colours. The occasion marked the formal initiation of students into the prestigious institution of higher learning.
The epoch-making event held at the Polytechnic mini-stadium attracted thousands of students, both new and old, as well as parents and well-wishers of the matriculants.
The atmosphere of the event could best be described as stately and momentous with the symbolic donning of gowns amid ovations and funfair. The high point of the occasion was the administration of the Matriculation Oath on the new students in a ceremony presided over by the Rector of the institution.
In his Matriculation Address, the Rector of the institution, Engr. Dr. Michael Arimanwa FNSE congratulated the students for being among the “lucky few out of the more than 50,000 candidates that applied for admission into our institution this year.” He charged them to be focused on the primary objective of their studentship which is to study and graduate successfully to become professionals in their chosen fields of endeavour.
To be able to achieve their set targets, the Rector advised the students to take their lectures very seriously while avoiding tutorials by students who could only bring about some confusion.
In his words, “Do all your assignments and tests. Don’t miss any classes and if you unavoidably do, then copy notes, revise the topics and avoid tutorials by students who may damage what your lecturers have taught you. Use the library judiciously and you will achieve success in your examinations.”
The Rector was also quick to remind the matriculating students to be conscious of the character they portray.
He added that the Academic Board of the polytechnic would not consider any deviant student as a graduate of the institution.
To this end, Rector ARIMANWA charged the freshmen to ensure that their “Character must at all times be clean and unquestionable so that you will not constitute an embarrassment to yourself.”
Accordingly, the award-winning Rector reminded the students that the Federal Polytechnic Nekede to which they have been admitted is “a brand built on decency and the best standards of academic and behavioural excellence,” a reason they must strive to become worthy ambassadors of the Polytechnic.
The Rector also used the occasion to read the riot act to the matriculating students on the dos and don’ts of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede. Essentially, he charged the students to avoid any form of indecency or inappropriate dressing.
He declared his administration’s zero-tolerance to examination malpractice, insisting that anyone found culpable would be summarily expelled.
Furthermore, the Rector affirmed that the polytechnic under his watch would not tolerate any form of cultism, advising students to shun all evil associations and clandestine relationships which could lead to their rustication.
The Rector equally issued a warning to the freshmen to be wary of co-habitation as their parents did not send them to school “to become or act as illegal wives or husbands and end up with unwanted pregnancies or babies instead of your graduation certificates.” The digital Rector reminded the students to avoid late nights which result in rape and other avoidable consequences.
Similarly, he admonished them to be wary of night parties which are breeding grounds for all manner of immorality.Moving forward, the Rector charged the new students to take advantage of the excellent facilities of the Polytechnic to add value to themselves. He referred to his Smart Campus Initiative which has digitized every operation in the institution as one area which students should key into.
The Rector further hinted that in less than two weeks, the total internet coverage of the Polytechnic would have been completed which would lead to a 24-hour internet service in every nook and cranny of the institution, a feat which would offer a robust service for research and profitable digital operations.
He, however, added that students should avoid the temptation of using the services for pornography and other forms of internet fraud.In the same spirit, the Rector announced that the Polytechnic Library which is fully digitized is well equipped to offer e-library services to students, urging the freshmen to take advantage of the facility.
Accordingly, ARIMANWA declared that with the e-library in place, “no student of the institution has any excuse to fail an examination for research or reading materials because the resources for success are already available.”
Similarly, the Rector hinted that the Polytechnic has a well-developed entrepreneurial centre which is there to inculcate the spirit of self-reliance into students. To this effect, he charged the matriculants to strive to acquire a skill before they graduate in order to add value to their personalities, a factor that would prevent them from becoming educated liabilities to their families and social milieus.
Fundamentally, the Rector made a case for parents to form the habit of monitoring their wards as a means of living up to their parental responsibility. According to the Rector, parents “can help us by checking on your wards frequently and unannounced. Always monitor their academic progress. The records are available in the departments. Do not indulge them no matter how you love them.”
One of the highlights of the event was the offer of scholarship to five matriculating students of the institution by the Rector, Engr. Dr. M.C. Arimanwa FNSE. One of the students, JENNIFER ELEAKA, a disabled student of Mass Communication read an address on behalf other matriculants. Some others were given scholarship for daring to read courses that were presumably for a certain gender.
While appreciating the scholarship, the recipients told the Press that the Rector’s kind gesture was an answer to their prayers as their parents would no longer shoulder the responsibility for their tuition payment, praying that God would bless the Rector for his kind-heartedness.
There were alot of dignitaries present at the historic ceremony which icluded the Acting Chairman of the 14th Governing Council, Sqd. Ldr. Chima Idika Chima (Rtd) and some members of the Council.
There were also representatives from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and other institutions. Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company, which earlier in the year signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Polytechnic also sent a representative who in his goodwill reaffirmed his company’s commitment to the MoU
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FEDPONEK GAZETTE JULY 14, 2022
