The Rector of Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, Aba formerly Abia State Polytechnic, Dr. Christopher Okoro has hailed President Bola Tinubu on his government’s policy to make education affordable to an average Nigerian.
Okoro gave this accolade when the national leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) headed by its president, Comrade Olusola Ladoja paid his institution a visit.
In his speech during the visit, Okoro said the initiative of the president through the establishment of Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) is a noble idea and likened him to a man who believes in replicating what he enjoyed and that was the major reason that brought about NELFUND.
He said through NELFUND, the president has relieved the student community of an age long problem of school fees and even stipends and stressed that though students are yet to get to terms with it, the long term results of the initiative will change the trajectory of the country’s educational sector for better.
He said: “I want to thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, if not for anything in the student community for alleviating one of the major problems that is issues of fees and then stipends.
“Most students are yet to come to terms with the noble objectives of Mr. President. I think he is a man who believes that what he enjoys others should also enjoy because during their own time, it was free education and they were given stipends.
“Though some students are still yet to come to terms with that. Our institution is one of the instructions that keyed in into this because his Excellency, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti who so much believes in the activities of Mr. President clearly aligned. In fact he called me one night around 3am just for NELFUND.”
Dr. Okoro while reflecting on his appointment as the Rector some 15 months hailed the governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti for always putting the education of Abians first and aligning with the president’s educational transformation goals.
“When he (Otti) got information that students from Abia State are yet to enroll, he was bothered and based on that he called for officers of NELFUND to come and hold a sensitisation in the state to tell you the believe of the governor in aligning with the visions of Mr. President.
“So you can see two persons who are working together to ensuring that students have qualitative education
“When his excellency gave me the appointment just about 11 months, 12 months ago, I stepped on this Polytechnic, we met a situation that could be defined as a dead zone, but with the support of his excellency, this institution has transformed from what it used to be its present state now.”
Okoro also thanked the President who he said has also through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (Tetfund) given the school about four Special Interventions making projects across the campus received a boost.
“Of course, Mr President has also been supportive through Tetfund. There is something we call special interventions and it only through the approval of Mr. President.
“Under my watch, we have gotten about four Special interventions from Mr. President and then we are also appreciative.
“When we were putting up one of our advocacy magazines, I told them that Tetfund is the lifeline of Tertiary institutions in Nigeria and we have a President that is also intentional in ensuring that funds pulled up with Tetfund are being utilised and we must thank him for that also.
“We over here are happy with what he is doing for the student community and the student community in Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic. We are so appreciative and we will continue to give him the support for all the good things he is doing irrespective of whatever anybody will think about. Whoever does good should be celebrated.
“In this line he has done good and we are very much happy with what he is doing and we will continue to support him in line with his agenda in ensuring that Nigerian students are happy.”
On his part, Comr. Ladoja, who revealed that his visit was to see how students are fairing in schools, added, “You are a student oriented Rector because you give priority to anything that concerns students and I can assure you that NANS national secretariat will not take this for granted Sir.
“We are here in Abia State to embark on our tour to the South Eastern States of Nigeria to go into every Campus to see how our students are doing, their welfare, and so on and so forth.
“The way we are seeing beautiful buildings in your campus, the way the campus looks so neat have shown you are really a student oriented rector.
“We get all these facts and put in our recommendation, but from the state government, getting to the federal government the Ministry of Education that one of the best Rectors is here.
“I was telling somebody that I have never seen a Polytechnic in Nigeria produce their own table water, this is the first place.
“When I was contesting for NANS president during my campaign, some of the SUG presidents asked a question that Mr. President, if you eventually God gives this victory, hope you won’t be among the NANS president who we will be watching them on TV in Abuja, and hope when we have problems you will come
“I said not until you will have problems, from time to time I will follow you and know how you guys are doing in your Campuses and I am assuring you after my emergence, I will come to your campus to say thank you and visit you all.
“We are going round the campus to see the abandoned projects of Tetfund because last three weeks we were with the Minister of Education, who told us about what President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is trying to do with the Tetfund with the fund he approved this year.”
Looks further commended the president for the students and for removing the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (Asup) and its University counterpart, Academic Staff Union of Universities (Asuu) from Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System(IPPIS) which he said has been the major cause of strikes.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu have done wonderfully well for Nigerian students because this is the first president since 1999 that approved students loan, not a loan you are going to pay immediately but it will allow you to start working, not only that, you must spend at least two years in your job before you start paying and this have shown the man have the love of students in his heart.
“This is the first in the history of Nigeria for the University students and I guess for the polytechnic too Asup and Asuu, this is the first time we have two years uninterrupted education in this country, it has never happened before.
“We thank the president for removing ASUP and ASUU from IPPIS payment which have been the major cause of their strikes.”