Education
Rector Lauds Wike Over Accreditation Of Courses
Rector of the Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori in Rivers State, Dr. Onengiye-Ofori Georgewill has commended Governor Nyesom Wike over the approval of 18 programmes offered in the institution by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
Georgewill, who made the commendation during an exclusive interview with the Tide at his office in Bori, explained that the approval was the outcome of a recent visit by the NBTE to the Polytechnic.
The Rector said that without accreditation (approval) of programmes, academic institutions hardly earns value for its courses.
“Programmes offered by any academic institution must be accredited by the relevant body otherwise they are just there. 18 of our programmes were approved during the recent accreditation visitation conducted by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
He stated that without the needed infrastructure and the enabling environment provided by visitor to the Polytechnic and the State Governor, Barrister Nyesom Wike, especially in the acquisition of a world class New Technology Centre (NTC), the feat would not have been possible.
“There is nothing we have asked from the Governor that he has not approved. The road leading to the school was deplorable when we came in, he (Wike) has done it.
“Different companies and investors are coming here to partner with us. The technical hands that were with the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency, (RSSDA), before now, he (the governor) has moved them into the mainstream.
“Right now investors, companies and Non-Governmental Organizations, NGO’s are coming to collaborate with us to train people because of the facilities we have here and negotiations are on-going. So, all that will be part of our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR),” he said.
Georgewill further said, ” With this (accreditation) by the NBTE, the statutory supervisory body for technical and vocational institutions in Nigeria, all our students are qualified to go for the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), “Georgewill explained.
Explaining further in a statement, Ag. Registrar of the Polytechnic, Austin Edeh said, “For the first time in the history of the polytechnic, the accreditation of the pragrammes were approved for a period of five years with effect from the 2017/2018 session:
Edeh stated that the institution will not relent in the production of skilled technical and professional manpower for the development and sustenance of the state and national economy.
Some of the courses covering both National Diploma and Higher Natiional Diploma listed by Edeh include, Mass Communication, Marketing, Banking and Finance, Civil Engineering Technology, Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technology.
Others are,:Mechanical Engineering Technology, Urban and Regional Planning, Surveying and Geo-Infomatics, Architectural Technology amongst others.
Dennis Naku
A professor of Highway Engineering at the Rivers State University (RSU), Prof. Emmanuel Osilemme Ekwulo, has identified poor designs, inadequate materials, insufficient testing, and lack of accountability as major obstacles to the success of highway construction projects in the country.
Ekwulo made this remark in Port Harcourt last Wednesday during the 128th inaugural lecture series of the university, where he presented a lecture titled “Removing Roadblocks: Rebuilding a Foundation for Reliable Highway Pavement Infrastructure.”
The university don lamented the consistent premature failures of road construction projects nationwide, despite huge investments by the government at all levels, attributing the problem to neglected basics and systemic principles in the industry.
According to him, rebuilding the foundation technically, institutionally, and ethically is crucial to building strong and lasting pavements.
Ekwulo emphasized the need for political will, professional integrity, and commitment to engineering excellence to overcome the challenges.
“The metaphoric roadblocks are those challenges causing premature failures,” Ekwulo said, adding that identifying and addressing these roadblocks is key to rebuilding the nation’s highways.
He recommended that institutions involved in road design and construction adopt a mechanistic-empirical design approach, and develop a comprehensive framework for implementing the Nigerian Imperial and Mechanistic Pavement Design System (NEMPADS) approach.
Ekwulo also advocated for mandatory traffic load analysis, strengthened university-industry collaboration, and funding for applied pavement research.
Corruption, he noted, is a major challenge in the profession, saying severe punitive measures are needed to curb shabby practices leading to premature road failures.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Isaac Zeb-Obipi, described Ekwulo’s lecture as interesting and intriguing, highlighting the importance of implementing solutions to Nigeria’s highway challenges.
The Vice Chancellor also described Ekwulo’s proposals as practical and applicable to government and industry stakeholders.
He said the university is committed to research aligned with national development goals, referencing its NDV-12 responsive consortium production framework.
Zeb-Obipi noted that Ekwulo’s recommendations are timely and solution-driven, and will contribute to addressing Nigeria’s highway challenges.
Akujobi Amadi
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