FEDPOLY – NEKEDE ALUMNI ASSOC. ENDS CONVENTION IN STYLE

It was pomp when the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri Alumni Association broke the jinx by successfully holding its general meeting and convention after 17 years of inactivity.

The event which held between Thursday, August 8, 2019 and Saturday, August 10, 2019 witnessed a large turn-out of members, students, Management and staff of the institution led by the Rector of the school, Reverend Engr. Michael Arimanwa (Ph.D), was able to constitute an 8-man- Caretaker Committee to pilot the affairs of the alumni association. It also constituted a five-man-electoral committee.

Delivering his key note address, Dr. Arimanwa expressed happiness for the success of the convention, commending the organisers for their efforts. “Last time I experienced home coming and convention of this great institution was in 2001, which brought into being a national leadership of the alumni in 2002. Since then, nothing has happened. Eighteen good years of inactivity. I believe such will never happen again.”

His words while inaugurating the committee members, “I charge you to deliver on your constitutional duties and to ensure that officers to pilot the affairs of our alumni association are elected into office. The constitution has prescribed a period of three months within which you are to hand over to the executive members that would emerge. I know that it is a herculean task with your tight schedules. Our alma mater must feel our impacts in all ramifications. Federal Polytechnic has been a source of pride to us all. We have maintained our lead as the best Polytechnic in the country for two years running – 2017 and 2018. I pray for the same success with our alumni. I need us all to contribute our quota as we complement the effort of the government; I want you to join me in taking the institution to the highest level even as the best in Africa.”

Njoku Sylvester, Chairman, Central Organising Committee and the Chairman of the 2019 Convention, who trained in Accountancy ruing over the inactivity of the alumni association of the school due to the dearth of constitutional activity of then alumni executives that went into oblivion since 2005 after the expiration their tenure. They also failed to conduct election for a new leadership to take over, a seemingly contrived action that collapsed the activities of alumni association, thereby paralysing its constitutional role to its members and her alma mater. “Some us took it up as a challenge to confront the situation. We commend the branches and chapter for keeping the light burning through-out the 17 years of relapse”; said he.

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The Chairman of the local organising committee and Chemistry lecturer in in Federal Polytechnic, Owerri, Mr. Enete Uchenna expressed satisfaction for the successful outcome of the event. “For me, it is a new beginning for the alumni of Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri. We witnessed a large turn-out with the branches from various state of the federation represented. We had all the stakeholders, with all the sessions since 41 years of the establishment of the institution, including the first undergraduate ever admitted into the Institution with matriculation number 001.”

Our tour around the school revealed so much investments by the federal Government and we are thankful.”

Mrs. Chibuzor Emmanuel, the Secretary of the Central Organising Committee who happened to be the first Lady clerk of the Student Union of the Institution, taking a deep breath said; I thank God that we can now move forward. Leadership is everything. For 17 years we were all kept in the dark and the alumni was dead for the period. She revealed that House had given the members of the expired executive to hand over every documents and every that belongs to the association to the caretaker committee in not less than 14 days. She also called on the general public to cease to deal with them on any business concerning the alumni association.

Accepting the challenge to rebuild the alumni association of the institution, the Chairman of the Caretaker National Executive Committee, Mr. Tim Obialor, thanked the members for reposing confidence in them to deliver within the shortest period allowed by the constitution.

“On behalf of my committee and the electoral committee, we thank you all for reposing confidence in us. I also want to specially commend all the members of our great alumni for sacrifices you all made to get to where we are today, especially the members of the local and central organising committees for the commitment and devotion you displayed in this bid to recover our alumni. For the task before us, which is to steer the affairs of the great association within the shortest period of three months and to work closely with the electoral body to conduct election before the expiration of the period. I can assure you that we shall deliver. Please whenever we call on you for one thing or the other, do not fail us. Thank you and God bless”; he concluded.

The Convention also issued a Communique read by the Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Obialor which contained the resolutions of the body.

The high point of the event was the conferment of Awards on the Rector of the institution who graduated from the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri for distinguishing himself and having been appointed the first Internally Generated Rector of the Institution. The Royal Father of the Day, HRH, Eze Godwin Onyewuchi Merenini, Dibia 1 of Umudibia was also honoured with award of Quality Leadership as a Traditional Ruler. The Traditional Ruler is also an alumnus of the institution.