**By Christian ABURIME

Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, today, Friday, 19th July, 2024, received the new Governing Council of Federal Polytechnic Oko.

The Council members led by its Chairman, Senator Barnabas Gemade were received at the Governor’s Lodge, Amawbia.

Senator Gemade who was the former National Chairman of People’s Democratic Party, described Governor Soludo as the most famous former Central Bank Governor in the history of the nation.

He explained that their visit was to officially inform him that they had assumed duty in the institution as members of the governing councils members”As Governor of the CBN, you brought tremendous innovation and we have seen that in your style of governance.

“Part of our work in the institution is to ensure that we collaborate with your government.

“This council will ensure that the institution is close to your government in programmes of technological development.

I am delighted to be here eith my members”; he concluded.Responding, Governor Soludo congratulated them on their well-deserved appointment, illustrating his emotional attachment to the institution.

“I knew it when it was Oko arts of science. It later changed to Anambra State and finally, Federal Polytechnic, Oko.

“It has grown in number and size, but you have a humongous task ahead of you.

“I look at the institution with mixed feelings of hope and opportunities but also of despair.

“We know where the dream was, but whether we are heading to the position, I don’t know.

“This is not peculiar to Federal Polytechnic, Oko. Most of our institutions are turning into glorified secondary school.

“We need to start asking the pivotal question of what our various individual institutions are known for.

What comes to mind when our institutions are mentioned?”Sadly, many of our institutions have gone down.

We need to go back to the fundamental ideas of our forefathers.

“I’m still looking at the glass as half full,” the governor stated.

He revealed that the new composition of the Council is an opportunity for something unique to be done in the institution, rather than being a place where people are given paper certificates without something to do when they graduate.

“In our own Polytechnic here in Mgbakwu, I have a team reviewing their status.

They will soon submit their report on whether the institution is fit for purpose.

“It is a general problem of our education, particularly tertiary education.

“I call them the “villagization” of our institutions, but I see Nigeria in terms of composition of members of the board.

“There is huge work to be done, to be able to rescue our education sector.

“I’ve seen university when it was universal, not minding where one came from but the value being added.

“Here in Anambra, we recruited 8115 teachers from 18 states of the country because the interest of the Anambra child is to be taught by the best teacher.

We are already practising what we preach.”Re-invent Federal Polytechnic, Oko.

It has been villagized to a glorified high school.

“I’ve seen how it works elsewhere and it pains me to see what is going on here.

“We have a job to rebuild because education remains the ladder of opportunities.”In terms of strategic partnership with you, there is a whole lot we can do to assist you, though yours is a Federal Institution in Anambra State.

Let’s do it together”; Governor Soludo added.Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Ernest Ezeajughi, Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Mr. Tony-Collins Nwabunwanne, The Acting Rector of Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Dr. Uche Onyegbu, among others, attended the event.