Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has vowed to transform educational institutions in Abia State to ensure that students are capable of becoming job creators upon graduation.
Governor Otti made this statement during the 19th/21st combined convocation ceremony of the Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, Aba, formerly Abia State Polytechnic. He revealed that he would allocate 20 percent of the 2025 budget to education, just as in 2024, noting that his commitment to education has led to great support for public educational institutions in the state.
“Our general outlay for the education sector has led to the retrofitting of primary and secondary schools across the state.
“It has also led to capacity development, training, and retraining programs for more than 2,000 primary and secondary school teachers.
“Our commitment to education has brought about extensive financial support for all state-owned institutions, regular and prompt payment of salaries and allowances to teaching and non-teaching staff, the offsetting of outstanding salary arrears owed staff working in our institutions, and other measures designed to address the long-term challenges faced by thousands of people working in the state’s education sector.”
While lamenting that the worst injury to the state is the neglect of education and the politicization of academics, Governor Otti reaffirmed his commitment to supporting public educational institutions in the state. He also disclosed that earlier this year, he had paid four years’ worth of accumulated counterpart funds to the Universal Basic Education (UBEC), adding that UBEC had written to confirm that it would release funds to support the education sector in the state.
“I am happy to announce that earlier this year, we paid about four years of accumulated counterpart funding, amounting to N5 billion, to the Universal Basic Education, and UBEC has written to assure us that very shortly, the total funds—estimated to be over N10 billion—will be released to us.”
Governor Otti also announced that he would give a one-million-naira business grant to each of the 150 best graduating students participating in the convocation—50 students from each of the three graduating sets. The prospective beneficiaries are required to submit business proposals to the government via email at oggh@abiastate.gov.ng on or before December 31, 2024.
He further informed the audience that the internal campus road network of the polytechnic would be reconstructed to improve the aesthetics of the environment. He also mentioned that he had already started paying the salary arrears owed to staff of the institution by the past administration. He disclosed that he had instructed the Secretary to the State Government and the Accountant General of the state to ensure that the arrears owed to affected staff—including those no longer on the payroll but still owed by the past administration—are paid.
The state chief executive explained that his decision to immortalize Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu by renaming the institution was to inspire future generations of students to pursue excellence, stating that Dr. Onu did not just found the polytechnic, but was also an epitome of excellence and dignity.
Governor Otti congratulated the graduands and thanked the management and governing council of the polytechnic for revitalizing the institution.
Earlier in his speech, the Chairman of the Governing Council of the polytechnic, Mr. Stanley Egege, assured that the council would continue making efforts to transform the school into a technological and entrepreneurial institution with the goal of producing highly skilled graduates.
In his address, the Rector of the Polytechnic, Dr. Christopher Okoro, highlighted various achievements of the institution within a few months of his appointment. He stated that he had also re-engineered the institution, introducing new programs, including Artificial Intelligence, among others, and noted that 16 new programs would soon be accredited.
A total of 6,621 graduands participated in the convocation, including 3,138 with National Diplomas and 3,483 with Higher National Diplomas.
Governor Alex Otti had earlier performed the foundation-laying ceremony for the perimeter fencing of the Osisioma Campus, commissioned the renovated Rector’s Lodge, the school’s newly completed main entrance gate, and the newly renovated administrative building, among other projects.
Governor Otti was accompanied to the event by the Member representing Isiala Ngwa North and South Federal Constituency, Hon. Ginger Onwusibe, members of the State House of Assembly, Honourable Commissioners, the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Kenneth Kalu, an illustrious son of Abia State, Chief James ( Ike Abam) and other dignitaries.
