Education
Okoko Donates 1,000 Books To UNIPORT
In his effort to uplift his
department academically, a retired Professor in the Department of Political and Administrative Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Kimse Okoko, has donated over 1,000 volumes of books to the Library of the department.
He said the gesture was aimed at encouraging students to research adequately in the course of their study.
Briefing newsmen in his office over the weekend, Head of the Department, Prof. Johnson Nna, said the department remains grateful to Prof Okoko for his contribution to the department in diverse ways.
He said, “this is a legacy donation to posterity by one of our intellectual members and elder statesman, who has not been far from us since he retired from the department.
“Generations of students to be enrolled in this department would use these valuable books for research and learning”.
The Head of Department called on other retirees and alumni of the department to also emulate the kind gesture aimed at facilitating the advancement of quality research work.
Noting that the books cut across topics in Political Science, particularly Political Theory and Public Administration, the Head of Department commended Prof Okoko for his continued support and passion for the growth of the department in particular and the university in general.
The Tide reports that Prof Okoko, who is currently the Pro-Chancellor of the University of Uyo, retired from the services of the University of Port Harcourt in 2014.
However, inspite of his retirement, Okoko has kept abreast with developments in the department and the university.
Chris Oluoh
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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