By Dennis Agbo

The Alumni Association of the Federal Polytechnic Oko, Anambra State, has rewarded the former Governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo for founding the institution when he was Governor in the second Republic.

National President of the Association, Nze Henry Chukwukadibia who led a group of the alumni to present the award to the Octogenarian in his Amechi Awkwanauw Enugu country home, said that Nwobodo was one of the founding fathers of the institution as a Diploma awarding college of Arts and Science before General Ibrahim Babaginda converted to a Federal Polytechnic.

“So we decided to chronicle these progenitors, first is Late Dr Alex Ekwueme who was the initiator; second is Senator Nwobodo who signed the law and made it a Polytechnic, then Ndu who was the first principal as a school of Arts and Science and Ibrahim Babaginda who gave it the necessary funding for a federal polytechnic.

“So, knowing what Nwobodo stood for in education; he was a teacher in Kings college in the 70s and when he became a Governor he established so many educational institutions which the Federal Polytechnic Oko was one. When you look at those institutions that he established which one of them again was the Anambra State University of Science and Technology, ASUTECH, which has been unbundled into three universities.

“Another one is Ehamufu College of Education which has been taken over by the federal government and the College of Education Nsugbe. So if you see the number of higher institutions and schools that Nwobodo established, they are many.

“So for Governor like him, we cannot but to thank him and that is the only thing we came do, to show appreciation. That is why we assembled them for the world to know why Oko is Oko and why it’s thick,” Chukwukadibia said.

Responding, Senator Nwobodo described the alumni as a mustard seen that has grown to become a beacon of good ambassadors.

Nwobodo said that he was was still in support of establishing more teritary institutions in Nigeria since the one available cannot contain the number of prospective students searching for higher education.

He appreciated the association’s award and expressed good impression of the old students whom he described as good record keepers.